Dog Lost in Rugged Mountains Finds Its Way Home After 9-Day Trek

— -- Some dogs just know how to beat the odds and tug at your heartstrings.

Georgia, an 8-year-old Shar-Pei mix, was reported missing for nine days after she got separated from her owner during a hike in a rugged region southern California, but on Monday she miraculously showed up at her home, some 35 miles away from where she was lost, her owner said.

Kris Anderson, 64, an avid hiker, said she took Georgia and her other dog, an 8-year-old Chihuahua mix, to the Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve on June 27. The trail, which is about 35 miles away from her home, was not an unfamiliar spot for Anderson.

“It was not my first time there,” Anderson told ABC News today. “We were in a more active area this time around.”

Anderson admitted to taking off her dogs off leash. But it wasn't until hours later that she realized Georgia was missing, she said.

"Half way to the waterfall, I heard the dog barking and it ran off,” said Anderson. “She gets so focused on critters and it’s hard to pull her away. In the past, she’s run away a couple of times before on walks but she would come back.”

Anderson said she went out on multiple searches by herself and with the park ranger throughout the evening and for the next few days to find Georgia.

“The ranger said he didn’t think she’d make it,” Anderson said. “Coyotes and mountain lions are in the area at night.”

But on Monday morning, Anderson said she heard the flipping sound of the doggy door and saw Georgia running in.

“She hopped on the couch,” Anderson said. “I couldn’t believe she was back. The vet was amazed at her shape. She lost about eight pounds. She had pink gums and was dehydrated.”

Georgia is a rescue dog from Hurricane Katrina, Anderson said.