Florida dog found in Chicago

---

CHICAGO (AP) - One animal control worker calls it a story straight out of Hollywood.

Two years ago, the beloved golden retriever of a Tampa family went missing. Alice Baines said she figured they'd never see Sam again.

Fast forward to last night, when Baines and her pooch were reunited at O'Hare International Airport. A family in Johnsburg in McHenry County found Sam wandering around. Animal control workers were able to trace his origins using a microchip implanted in his body.

While no one is sure how Sam made the 1,200 mile journey from Tampa to Chicago, it doesn't appear that he walked.

Officials say Sam was probably picked up in Florida and brought to Illinois, only to escape again.

Baines called getting him back the best Christmas present her family could get.

More State Stories

• Florida session: Tallahassee week in review
• Jacksonville babysitter accused of abusing baby
• Judge: Casey Anthony can use public money
• 37,000 citations issued in Click it or Ticket campaign
• SeaWorld: Don't release death videos
• Lawmakers: Let's cut car registration renewal fees
• Attorney: Casey Anthony is broke; state should pay fees
• Casey Anthony wants state to help pay for defense
• Is consistency in the use of red light cameras coming?

 Snooty The Manatee Cam

Watch Snooty the manatee and friends at Parker Manatee Aquarium (Mon. -Sat. 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.).

• Snooty Cam

• Listen live
• Employee blogs
• Twitter page

• Breaking alerts
• RSS news feed
• Upload video

Select the size text you want to use to view www.baynews9.com from the choices below.

Want to go green?

Going green is all the rage these days. Check out our green pages on BayNews9.com.

• Energy saving tips
• Eating green
• County by county recycling