Lost Virginia dog turns up in NorCal

YUBA CITY, Calif., Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Preparations are under way in Sacramento to return a long-lost dog to its owners in Virginia.

A microchip implanted in the dog that was turned in at the Yuba City, Calif., animal shelter revealed the little stray had disappeared from a farm in Virginia in 2003.

Folks at the shelter told KTXL-TV, Sacramento, they have no idea how the dog, an American Staffordshire terrier named Petunia, wound up in Northern California, but the chip and a photo from the original owners confirmed the identity.

Petunia was found running with a group of dogs belonging to an Oregon woman who was visiting the Spenceville Wildlife area last week. The woman took the stray with her and turned it over to the shelter the next day.