A dog brought as a stray to an animal shelter in Rockford, Illinois, has been reunited with their owner in Houston after five years and a thousand-mile journey.

Bella recently turned up at a Winnebago County Animal Services facility in Rockford as a stray. But when they checked her microchip, they found she was very much wanted.

Her family in Texas said she somehow escaped her fenced backyard on New Year's Eve in 2020. They put up flyers and went door-to-door, but lost hope until the shelter called.

"Man, it was a very emotional moment for everybody," said her owner Sergio Torres. "Even she, when she first saw me, you could tell that she still recognized me a little. She was really attached to my oldest son, and when she saw me oldest son, she was reaching out her paw and everything. So it was a heartwarming moment for us."

It's still a mystery how exactly Bella got to Illinois from Texas. Her family said they're just relieved to have her back.