An Albert Lea dog that got loose in Chicago last week, causing a traffic jam on a major highway and becoming a TV celebrity, was reunited with her family on Tuesday.

The dog, named Hope, was adopted by Dan and Mary Jo Dorman a few years ago after Dan found it abandoned near their home. A Windy City TV station had been reporting on Hope since she got loose.

“It’s like a weight has been lifted,” Dan said. “I was starting to lose hope. So many things run through your head, but everybody kept encouraging us to keep hope.”

Hope had been missing for nine days after somehow managing to get out of the apartment of the Dorman’s oldest son, Chris. The Dormans had been in town visiting and had gone for a bike ride.

The dog made its way onto the Kennedy Expressway near Chris’s apartment and reportedly tied up traffic for at least an hour.

“She’s being called the expressway dog,” Dan said.

Using Interstate 90, the Kennedy connects the Chicago Loop to the O’Hare International Airport.

Hope was found Tuesday after she began interacting with a woman walking her dog about a mile away from where she got loose. She reportedly followed the woman home.

A neighbor of the woman commented that the dog looked like the one that had been on the freeway and called the TV station.

Dan said he got word Hope was safe at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, and the family headed to Chicago shortly after.