SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — A southwest Florida family has been reunited with their dog after she turned up several weeks later in Atlanta, more than 500 miles away.

Michael Epstein told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune (http://goo.gl/HkhbCq ) that his family's 3-year-old miniature Australian shepherd, Abby, was lost on July 3. She ran away from the family's yard when fireworks frightened her.

Family members spent the next three weeks putting up signs around Sarasota and even created a website, findabby.com.

Epstein says the family finally got a call this past Saturday from Fulton Animal Services in Atlanta. Workers there said Abby had been found several days earlier, and they used an implanted microchip to trace her back to her family. Epstein said they immediately headed north to retrieve Abby.

Epstein says he has no idea now the dog ended up in Atlanta.

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Information from: Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune, http://www.heraldtribune.com