Photos: Runaway Iditarod sled dog Sarabi returns to Anchorage

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Laura Allaway gets a kiss from her pet dog Haggard as she hold Sarabi the runaway sled dog on the Park Strip in Anchorage, AK. Iditarod musher Laura Allaway and sled dog Sarabi are in Anchorage, AK on Saturday, May 2, 2015 to thank people who helped in the search and recovery of the sled dog earlier this year. Sarabi escaped in Anchorage after it was flown back from the Iditatrod trail when Allaway dropped the dog during the 2015 race.

Formerly missing Iditarod dog Sarabi spent nearly a month on her own with searchers combing the Anchorage Bowl for her, but after her return home, she has a newfound love for teamwork.

The escape artist was back in Anchorage this weekend, making the rounds and meeting people who assisted the search for her last month.

Sarabi was finally captured in downtown Palmer on April 20, Sarabi was quickly shuttled back to her teammates and owner, musher Laura Allaway, at Trailbreaker Kennels in Fairbanks. Her journey had begun almost a month earlier on March 21, when she got loose from handlers watching her in South Anchorage after she was dropped along the Iditarod Trail.

Allaway still isn't sure how her dog eventually made the trip 50 miles north to Palmer, but she's grateful to have Sarabi back. Allaway spent much of Saturday meeting individually with volunteers who spent weeks helping search the Anchorage area for the dog.

The 3-year-old dog is still a little thin, but Allaway said she is getting extra dog food. Other than that, Sarabi is pretty much back to her normal self, but for a few small changes.

One is that she loves to play catch -- something she never did before -- and the other is her newfound confidence. Allaway said before Sarabi went missing in March the dog was often a "goofball" while in harness, turning around and messing with her teammates when they weren't running.

But after her journey the dog is more independent, serious and definitely on track to becoming a lead dog, Allaway said.

And she said visitors to Trailbreaker Kennel might see a little more of the dog during summer tours.

"She is kind of a celebrity now," Allaway said.