When Sissy learned that her best friend was battling cancer in the hospital, she knew she had to be by her side.

Whether the hospital let dogs in or not, she was sure going to try to get in to see her owner.

The 10-year-old miniature Schnauzer walked 20 blocks through Cedar Rapids, Iowa, all by herself to Mercy Medical Center.

Sissy’s owner, Nancy Franck, had been there for about two weeks after having surgery. Franck’s husband, Dale Franck, was looking after Sissy and their other mini Schnauzer Barney at their home.

Dale let the dogs out to go to the bathroom and Sissy never came back.

“I thought they both came back in the house,” Dale Franck told TODAY. “I was panicking.”

Sissy marched right up to that hospital and went through the automatic doors.

She didn’t bother coming to the guest sign-in desk.

She was going to find her mom on her own without anyone’s help.

“She was on a mission that night to see her mom, but she couldn’t find the right elevator to take,” Dale Franck told ABC News.

Dale Franck got a phone call at 5:30 a.m. from security officer Samantha Conrad saying that they had Sissy.

“She found my number and house address from her tag on her collar,” Dale Franck said. “I was so relieved, and I asked my daughter go and pick her up.”

When Wood arrived, she was able to take Sissy up for a few minutes.

When Franck laid eyes on her dog, she thought that her daughter, Sarah Wood, snuck her in.

“I said, ‘Did you sneak this dog in?’ Sarah said, ‘No, [Sissy] snuck herself in,'” Franck said. “Set the door off — she got in by herself, too. So, she was on a mission.”

Everyone was just glad that Sissy was OK.

“Nancy and Sissy were able to love each other for a few minutes, and then she went back with me,” Dale Franck said. “She’s my baby, and though it sounds funny now, it wasn’t funny when she was missing. I was worried sick. I’m glad she’s OK.”

But Sissy was glad that she got to be there for her mom and make her smile.

She needed her mom to know that she was there for her during this difficult time.

No one was sure how Sissy was able to find her way to the hospital where her mom was.

“The only thing I could think of was that Sissy used to ride with me to pick up my wife from work next door to the hospital,” Dale Franck said. “But we’ve never walked that route before.”

But dogs are a lot smarter than people give them credit for. They also have superhuman senses.

“She has a close relationship with Sissy,” he added. “Sissy’s 11 now, and we bought her when she was just about 8-weeks-old. She came up to me, scratched my leg, and fell asleep on my shoulder. I’d say we didn’t pick her, she picked us.”

Sissy’s story ended up going viral, making her an internet celebrity.

“Think about it: a small dog from Cedar Rapids, simply wanting to see her mommy. She didn’t know she was doing anything extraordinary. She was just doing what any loyal, loving dog wants to do: show their human how much love they have for them. Sissy just found a unique way of doing that and, in turn, she received all that love back from unknown friends around the world,” her family shared.

Learn more about Sissy’s incredible journey below.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: USA TODAY, TODAY, ABC News