Missing San Diego Dog Appears in Detroit 6 Months Later and Now Knows How to Sit

A dog who went missing in San Diego, Calif., six months ago has been found and reunited with her owner — more than 2,000 miles away near Detroit.

According to the Associated Press, Liz and Mehrad Houman's dog, Mishka, went missing back in July 2023 from Mehrad's auto body shop in San Diego. The family had no leads on their pet's disappearance, despite notifying the Humane Society, posting "missing dog" flyers and sharing the dog's chip number.

"We believe someone has taken her because she is chipped and has our number on her collar," Liz wrote in a Facebook post at the time.

However, more six months later in March 2024, the Houmans received a call about their missing dog — from Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society in Harper Woods, Mich., near Detroit.

According to the AP, a woman notified Harper Woods police about a stray dog in her neighborhood, and officers took Mishka, a terrier mix, to an animal welfare group. The Adoption Society later took custody of the dog, and she was scanned for a chip.

According to FOX 2 Detroit, the Houmans were already planning a trip to Minneapolis to visit family when they got the call from the shelter. As soon as they landed, Mehrad drove 10 hours to Harper Woods to pick up the pup.

"I've been missing my kid so that's, I think, what anybody would do to go get their kid back," Mehrad said of Mishka, per the outlet.

Although no one knows for sure how the terrier made her way from California to Michigan, the Houmans and a local have theorized that she was stolen and brought to Michigan.

"We think [the dog] was stolen and then was sold and ended up in Michigan," Corinne Martin, director of the animal welfare group, told the AP.

The strangest part, according to Liz?

"Someone taught her how to sit. She sits now," Liz told FOX 2 Detroit.

Mishka was also examined by Michigan veterinarian Nancy Pillsbury, who gave the dog a rabies shot and cleared her to travel.

"She was clean, well-fed. Whoever had her took good care of her," Pillsbury told the AP. "How she got here — that’s a story only Mishka knows."

Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society credits the dog's safe return to her family to the power of microchipping pets and being a "conscientious" dog owner, according to a Facebook post shared by the organization.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

"PLEASE watch this knowing that the process works," they wrote, alongside a video recounting Mishka's story. "A conscientious family microchips their beloved pet. An unfortunate event happens with the dog being separated from them. A local resident makes the right decision. The synergy between a municipality and its local animal shelter shines brightly. The technology of the microchip reunites the long lost pup with its forever family."

"I never gave up," Liz told the AP. "I put up over a thousand flyers. I had a flyer on my back windshield. I wore her leash whenever I would look for her. ... Now I just want to find out how she got to Michigan."