If you get separated from your cat, that's the end of that. But not dogs, no siree. Some dogs will hunt you down for miles through desert, across state lines, over the ocean, and even across a war zone!
Miss Cellania wrote a fantastic article about 8 Mysterious Tales of Traveling Dogs over at our pal mental_floss - take for instance, the story of Nubs:
Major Brian Dennis adopted an abused mixed-breed dog in Anbar Province, Iraq. He named the dog Nubs because his ears had been cut off. Dennis nursed Nubs back to health over four months, but then he was ordered to move his squadron 70 miles away. Two days later, Nubs rejoined Dennis! The dog had tracked him down despite subfreezing temperatures and rough terrain. But the major received orders to get rid of the dog within four days or he would be shot. Dennis started an email campaign to save Nubs that raised $3,500 within a couple of days, and battled bureaucratic difficulties to get the dog out of Iraq across the Jordanian border. Nubs was flown to the US the next week, where he was met by friends and a veterinarian in Chicago, then by a dog trainer at his final destination in San Diego. Major Dennis was reunited with Nubs after his tour was up a month later.
Well, about a week later, who do they see wanting inside? Yep.... that same cat.
So it's def not just dogs that can find their ways back home.
All this effort to save a dog. There're kids dying, c'mon.