Dog walks nearly 20 blocks to see owner in hospital

Some dogs sure want to be by their owner's side in sickness and health.

A dog in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, escaped her home and walked nearly 20 blocks to see her owner, who was recovering from cancer surgery, KWWL reports.

Sissy, the miniature schnauzer, walked through Mercy Medical Center's doors and into the hospital lobby, according to the news organization.

"She was on a mission," owner Nancy Franck told KWWL.

Nancy's husband, Dale, was letting Sissy and her brother Barney out to go to the bathroom when Sissy must have escaped, according to KWWL.

Security cameras in the hospital show the 10-year-old dog in the hospital halls.

"I didn't think they could do it," Nancy Frank told the news organization. "I thought dogs could find their way home, but this one found the hospital."

Hospital security allowed Sissy up to Nancy's room for a visit.

"It's a delightful story that has really touched our hearts here at the hospital. We know the importance friends and families have on the healing process," Karen Vander Sanden, a spokeswoman for Mercy Medical Center, told USA TODAY Network in a statement.

Contributing: Lori Grisham, USA TODAY Network