SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - A Carmel Valley couple received a very special Christmas gift Monday when their lost dog was returned to them.
The couple had been frantically searching for their beloved Vizsla for over a week, and finally got the call they'd been hoping for.
Savannah, who had been missing for more than a week, suddenly showed up overnight at one of her best friends' homes, nearly five miles away. Donna and Jamie Wolosin got the call just after 2 a.m. Wednesday. Karen Vaughan couldn't believe it.
She'd been leaving her side gate open just in case. It's miles away from where the dog disappeared, but the vizsla had been over at least 100 times before to play and stay with her pal Ellie.
"I was awakened by like an alert-type bark and I ran downstairs and she was right there at the door she goes in and out of all the time, just waiting for me to open it," Karen said.
Savannah lost a few pounds, and is definitely tired. She disappeared after being spooked while on an off-leash run December 16, and Mother Nature has put her through a lot since then.
"We've had 1 1/2 inches of rain, and we had temperatures down to 33 degrees. We had a wind storm that blew sand all over that area, the Torrey Pines area. I believe we had an earthquake... what more could have happened?" Jamie Wolosin said.
Karen's husband did go for a really long run through the reserve on Sunday, so it's possible Savannah picked up his scenet and followed it back to his house.