SYDNEY, Australia — A dog that vanished two months ago has been found 2,000 miles from home, media reported today.

Rusty was to be flown home Thursday after being sent to a pound in Darwin, Australia's northernmost city, and identified this week by a microchip inserted under the skin.

"I can't believe I'll see my little fellow again," Shirley Lowry, who has made several appeals in local media for her pet's return, said.

"It just goes to show the value of having your dog micro-chipped," she added.

How Rusty, an 8-year-old poodle-Maltese mix, reached tropical Darwin remains a mystery, although the condition of Rusty's paws suggests the dog did not walk.

Rusty disappeared in May while Lowry was inside a shop in the east coast town of Woy Woy, located 25 miles north of Sydney.