On July 2014, Josie, a Border Collie from Hatch, New Mexico, went missing from her 2,000-acre farm home. Her owners, the Carpenters, believed the pet was stolen during the last harvest, and even though they searched the farm, surrounding areas and neighboring towns, they gave up hope of ever finding their beloved pet. Eight months later, the pet owners receive a phone call from a Midwestern state telling them Josie was alive and well.

No one really knows how Josie traveled from New Mexico all the way to Illinois, but it safe to say she had some human help. The good news is that after being taken from her rightful home, the Border Collie is right back where she belongs.

When the Carpenters received the phone call this month from an Oswego, Ill., veterinarian, they couldn’t believe that Josie had really been found. The Carpenters had convinced themselves that Josie was long gone (dead), yet the pet was alive and her registered microchip helped her get back home.

Jake Carpenter hopped in his car and drove 20 hours from New Mexico to Illinois to pick up his four legged best friend. His wife and two young children anxiously awaited their return. Now Josie is back in the farm, resting, playing and enjoying life with the family she has always known as her own.