A 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier named Luna was happily reunited with her owners after surviving more than a month on her own in Yellowstone National Park.
Luna escaped on Sept. 10 from a locked cabin in the Canyon Village area. Her owners, who were visiting from California, had left her inside with a “Do not disturb” sign while they explored the park, but believe the dog bolted when housekeeping accidentally opened the door. Staff tried to catch her for hours, but she had already vanished into the wilderness, the New York Times reported.
For over a month, Luna was spotted crossing roads, wandering through employee housing, and slipping into lodges through automatic doors—all while navigating a landscape full of grizzly bears, wolves, coyotes, and falling temperatures. According to the National Park Service, temperatures in Yellowstone can range from a high of 52°F to a low of 31°F.
Fortunately, Luna’s journey had a Disney-ending thanks to her spirit of survival.
Luna spent her first year on the streets before being adopted, and the repeated sightings of the dog near locations visited by her owners showed she may have been trying to retrace her family’s steps.
MORE HEROIC DOG STORIES:
- Treacherous 43-Day Mountain Search Finally Reunites Dog With Owner After it Bolted During Road Trip: ‘It was amazing’
- Dog Lost on 3rd Tallest Peak in England Finally Found After Three Weeks Stuck on Steep Ravine
- Community Spares No Effort to Reunite Lost Dog with Owner After Their Car Was Rolled in a Crash
Luna’s owners were also looking for her. While the dog was initially assumed dead or permanently lost in the 3,500-square mile, the search resumed after the numerous sightings of a dog matching Luna’s features.
The breakthrough came when Katie Boucher, the volunteer leading efforts through Norris Ark Training and Recovery Center, and one of the owners found Luna in a live trap baited with scraps from a family T-shirt and pillowcase. When examined by a veterinarian, Luna was underweight after losing about 10 pounds, but ready to go home.
“She’s alert and in good spirits,” Boucher told the Associated Press. “I was crying all the way up here from the park.”
SHARE This Happy Reunion With Someone Who Needs a Good Story Today…