NEWNAN, Ga. (AP) -- A Chihuahua is being hailed as a hero after authorities say it sniffed out two girls who were lost in a Georgia forest.

The girls, ages 5 and 8, disappeared Monday for a couple of hours when they were walking on trails near their neighborhood about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta. As police and firefighters began to search for the girls, neighbor Carvin Young grabbed his 3-year-old Chihuahua and joined the search.

Young tells CBS Atlanta (http://bit.ly/QwAlwY ) the dog, Bell, picked up the girls' scent and began running until she reached them.

Rebecca Parga, the girls' mother, says her children play with Bell almost every day, and the dog is very familiar with them.

The girls, Carlie and Lacey, were scared when they were found but were not hurt.