Beaumont resident Cassandra Frances thought she would never see her 2-year-old Yorkshire terrier again.
She had evacuated from Hurricane Rita and had to leave Topanga behind with 3-year-old buddy Gigi, a sheepdog.
Two days after the storm, Frances called the Houston SPCA to have them break into her home and rescue her animals.
After she got back, Frances spent about two weeks searching the SPCA Web site, looking for her beloved pets.
She saw a picture of Gigi last Thursday, and assumed Topanga was right alongside the sheepdog.
"I assumed they would keep the dogs together," Frances said.
But when she arrived in Houston she learned the Yorkie wasn't there. The SPCA had rescued so many animals that it just lost track, aided by a home address the group had listed for the dog that mentioned "South B" instead of 9th, where she actually lived.
Add that misidentification to a missing collar that had Topanga's name tag and registration, and "That's how she got lost," Frances said Thursday night.
After some searching, it looked like Topanga might be at a shelter in Marin County, Calif. She was staying with an attorney who had planned to adopt her.
When the Californians described the dog as having a chopped tail and gray patch in the front, Frances was sure - sight unseen.
"I know it's my dog," she said.
It was confirmed when they called the dog by her name, then later had Frances call California so the phone receiver could be put near the dog's ear.
"When they called the dog Topanga it started wagging its tail," Frances said. "When it heard my voice, they said it got excited."
By about 8 p.m. Thursday, Frances had rescued Topanga from the airport in Houston, none the worse for her journey.
In fact, "she's fat," Frances said Thursday night.
And as far as getting her home, "It was definitely luck."
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