Dog who wandered 700 miles from home found safe in New Mexico

A Los Angeles-area family had a reason to celebrate on Thursday when a man revealed that he discovered their missing dog wandering in New Mexico -- nearly 700 miles away from his home.

Bella apparently made the trek to Las Cruces all alone, crossing two state lines and entering an entirely different time zone, according to El Paso, Texas, ABC affiliate KVIA.

The pup, a black and white husky, eventually wandered into the care of Juan Treto, a New Mexico State University student, who says he instantly fell in love with her. He spent about six weeks fostering her and trying to locate her owners.

"I thought maybe she was on a vacation or something," Treto told KVIA. "I could tell that she just wanted to be loved."

He said he formed a tight bond with the pup, who he called Annie, but he continued to search for her owners.

Chip-tracking data eventually led him to the dog's rightful owner, Jessica Smith.

"I think she was more surprised that her dog was in New Mexico," Treto said. "She said that she had lost her in Orange County, and had no idea that someone from New Mexico would end up calling her."

Smith said it felt like her prayers had been answered when she finally got the call saying Bella was safe.

"I have two daughters, and they have been heartbroken," Smith told KVIA. "I didn't think we were ever going to hear about her again. I thought, 'I hope she didn't get eaten.' I was thinking the worst."