Luna, a dog lost in Yellowstone, is reunited with owner after month
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For over a month, Luna, a Jack Russell terrier that bolted from her family's cabin during a vacation at Yellowstone National Park, eluded capture as fears for her survival mounted and winter weather approached. On Wednesday, her ordeal came to a happy ending when she was caught and reunited with her owners.
The 10-year-old white dog with pointy ears and a gray collar had been spotted crossing intersections, strolling through employee housing and entering lodges through automatic doors at the sprawling park, home to grizzly bears, wolves and other predators.
Katie Boucher, the volunteer leading the rescue effort and a spokesperson for Luna's California owners, said she and one of the owners found the dog in the trap baited with scraps from a T-shirt and pillowcase belonging to the family. They took her to a veterinarian, where the owner held the dog as it was examined Wednesday afternoon.
"She's underweight, but that's to be expected. She's alert and in good spirits," Boucher said.Luna escaped Sept. 10. Boucher said the dog spent its first year on the streets before being adopted and showed strong survival instincts while on the loose. Based on sightings, Boucher said, Luna retraced her family's steps from the day before she was lost -- sneaking into eateries or lodges they had visited and seeking shelter in employee residences and businesses.
The day of the escape, the family left her in their cabin with a "Do Not Disturb" sign while they ventured out to explore the park. They believe a housekeeping staffer accidentally opened a door, freeing the dog.
"The staff then proceeded to chase her around that area of the park for over two hours before the owners came back and discovered all the chaos and their dog missing," Boucher said.
Yellowstone was the first U.S. national park and covers about 3,500 square miles, including portions of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.
Luna's family searched for the dog, which is part chihuahua, but were told it likely died, possibly killed by a coyote, Boucher recounted. Days after leaving Yellowstone, the owners learned Luna had been spotted, and contacted Boucher, president of the Norris Ark Training and Recovery Center in Norris, Montana, north of the park.
Locals and tourists called out Luna's name or chased her, triggering her fight-or-flight response and driving her further into the park, Boucher said.