A veterinarian was able to use a microchip to determine the dog had been stolen from a backyard in Florida back in 2017.

SOUTHWEST RANCHES, Fla. — Two years after a puppy was stolen in Florida, it was found abandoned in Colorado and returned to its family thanks to the pet's microchip ID.

The Miami Herald reports the German Shepherd named Cedar lay covered with snow in rural Colorado, apparently malnourished before she was rescued by a deputy marshal.

Owner Tamara Peterson said Cedar was stolen from her backyard in the town of Southwest Ranches in May 2017.

It was not clear how the dog wound up nearly 2,000 miles (3,219 kilometers) away.

When Cedar was taken to a veterinarian, she scanned for a microchip and found out the puppy belonged in South Florida.

After three weeks of recovery, animal charity Wings of Rescue helped arrange travel to the animal's Florida family Saturday.

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