Arizona husky missing for 9 months reunited with owner

It was a holiday homecoming for a pet after almost nine months of being apart from his owner.

This special Siberian husky made it all the way home to Phoenix from East Oregon!

9-year-old Kane disappeared from Leanne Saunders' home one night. Saunders assumes he was stolen.

The East Oregonian reports a Pendleton woman saw the husky wearing a leash on Dec. 10 and called police. He was found running on a major freeway.

The dog was put in the pound for a week, then turned over to a local animal-welfare group.

Saunders had put up signs around Phoenix, but every lead turned into a dead end.

A member of the Pendleton Humane Society tracked down Saunders using the dog's identity chip, made more difficult because Saunders had moved and changed her name since the chip was installed.

When she saw a picture of Kane, she knew he was hers.

"He's got his winter coat now..he didn't have it when he left, hi baby boy," said Saunders at Sky Harbor Airport Sunday when she was reunited with Kane.

It took a lot of help from people and donations to get Kane home, but now the Saunders have their Christmas miracle.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.