WALNUT, Calif. -- A 2-year-old Jack Russell terrier whose owner had been hospitalized for weeks with a broken neck apparently missed her so much that he managed to sniff his way to her workplace, more than nine miles from home, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Carmen Mexia, PJ's owner, broke her neck in a Feb. 14 accident and has been staying at a rehabilitation center in Pomona. Mexia said PJ had never been to her workplace, Citrus College in Glendora, and she told the paper she never left a scent by walking to the campus.

But Cheryl Costello, a specialist on Jack Russell terriers, told the paper that Mexia may have had the scent of her workplace on her clothes, and PJ could have been seeking that workplace scent.

"Jack Russells are pretty amazing," Costello told the paper. "You'd be surprised at what they can do."

PJ was found at Citrus College by a student, who turned him over to a maintenance worker. The worker called Mexia's home phone number, which was on the dog's tag, and left a message. Meanwhile, another worker took the dog to Mexia's office. He said the dog went straight to Mexia's empty chair.

"He sniffed it and realized this is where his destination was," according to the worker. "He jumped up and sat down."

A friend of Mexia's who also worked on the campus called Mexia on a speaker phone from the office so PJ could hear her voice.