It's not every day a lost dog makes the news, but this one snarled traffic for thousands of drivers. In the end, she was found in the West Town neighborhood, about a mile from where she was last spotted on the expressway.
Now, two-and-half-year-old "Hope" is back in the arms of family.
"She looks okay. She's just shaking. She's so scared," said Chris Dorman, dog owner's son.
The pit bull terrier mix belongs to Chris Dorman's mom, who earlier this month was visiting from Minnesota and brought the dog along.
Hope somehow escaped from Chris's Wicker Park apartment, with her whereabouts unknown until Monday of last week.
ABC7 spotted Hope running along the express lanes of the Kennedy near Armitage.
"I just started crying. But actually, it was a joyous cry just to see that she was alive and know that she was out there somewhere," said Chris Dorman.
Hope exited the expressway before anyone could grab her, and for more than a week, Chris searched for the dog on his bike.
"It broke my heart about two days ago just seeing how cold it was getting, and rainy," said Chris Dorman.
Then on Tuesday morning, North Sider Reggie Rush says she was walking her dogs, when Hope approached and came home with them.
Rush's neighbor Autumn Chim posted Hope's photo on Facebook. The two women were unaware she was the so-called "expressway dog."
Soon, Facebook users directed autumn to ABC7, and we put her in touch with Chris.
"I'm really shocked, and I'm really happy that there's a happy ending to the story," said Autumn Chim, who helped reunite the dog with her owner.
"I know how I would feel if it were my dog, and I hope somebody would do the same thing for us," said Reggie Rush, who helped reunite the dog with her owner.
Then, Chris's mom got the happy phone call at the school in Minnesota where she works.
"He was crying, my husband. And he said, "They found Hope!" And so the whole class started screaming. So I got to celebrate with a bunch of fifth graders," said Mary Jo Dorman, dog's owner.
ABC7's Eric Horng asks: "You lost Hope, but did you ever lose hope?"
"I feel like the hope was always there that we would find her. We just had to keep a strong spirit," said Chris Dorman.
Chris says he's going to have Hope checked out by a vet. On Tuesday morning she appeared a little dehydrated and very tired, but in pretty good shape. Chris's mom is right now driving from Minnesota for the happy reunion.
