Abandoned Puppy In Colorado Reunited With Florida Family

HUGO, Colo. (CBS4) - An abandoned dog in eastern Colorado is back home two years after being stolen. An officer rescued the 2-year-old German shepherd earlier this month from a snow-covered ditch in Hugo.

After three weeks of recovery in the care of a veterinarian, the pup, named Cedar, had a happy reunion with her family nearly 2,000 miles away.

The Peterson family said someone stole Cedar, then 4-months-old, from their backyard in Florida in 2017.

A Hugo resident called authorities after discovering the dog cold and abandoned in a ditch.

"The dog was actually snow-covered, so I passed it twice. Didn't even see it," said Deputy Marshal Steve Ryan of the Hugo Marshal's Office. "She was wet, appeared to be malnourished," he told Cathi Perez of the nonprofit Wings of Rescue.

LINK: Facebook.com/WingsofRescue/

Ryan lifted Cedar out of the ditch and took her to Eastern Colorado Veterinary Services in Limon, where she received care from Doctor Leesa McCue.

"Actually, I would say for what she had been through, (she was) in very good shape," McCue told Perez.

McCue scanned the dog's microchip and discovered that the pet belonged to a Florida family.

Wings of Rescue, known for flying cats and dogs out of disaster areas, flew Cedar back home to Florida Saturday where she reunited with a family whose prayers have been answered.

It was unclear how Cedar ended up so far away from home or for how long she was alone.