A dog who went missing near Regina was just picked up in Toronto this week, a whopping four months later and roughly 2,500 km away.

The pup, a big fluffy shepherd named Bear, disappeared from his front yard in the area of Stoughton, Saskatchewan back in September while his owner and their friend Tasha Bigras were running errands in the Prairie province's capital.

Apparently, it was very out of character for Bear to have ventured off while they were gone, and it turned out that the duo was right to worry.

The friends made numerous posts on online pet groups, put up missing signs and searched around themselves in a hunt that carried on for months to no avail.

Not all hope was lost, though, and it wasn't until January 19 that they finally got a breakthrough when a vet treating the doggo thought to scan for a microchip and found their phone number.

Unfortunately, that vet was an unthinkable distance — two entire provinces — away.

One of the many Facebook posts the friends made in their search for Bear. 

To make matters worse, Bear had been brought there by a person who believed themselves to be his new owner, having just paid for him from a private seller.

"She called us because someone had brought Bear in to get checked and he was microchipped, so they contacted us right away," Bigras told local news outlet Discover Estevan, adding that she has since learned it is sadly quite common for pets to be taken and then resold for profit in other cities.

"Usually, it's not this far out, though. We were stunned!"

Though Bear's new friend in Toronto must be sad to give him up, plans are now in motion to get the pooch back to Saskatchewan and his rightful owner, who will have to make the trip to the Big Smoke to get Bear's medical records in order and escort him back.

To help with the costs of the trip, they've launched a GoFundMe where they've shared their story, which other pet owners have used as a cautionary tale.

Along with donating, many people have also been quick to offer their help and suggestions for getting Bear home ASAP, whether through catching a ride with a local rescue already heading that way, or through organizations like Fur the Haul of it Critter Courier and Dog Gone Truckin'!, groups of truckers that facilitate pet transport.

"Anyone that owns a pet knows that they're family," Bigras writes on the GoFundMe.

"A bond between you and your pet grows more each day. They rely on you and you rely on them."