California family dog ​​missing in Yellowstone found

Luna, the 10-year-old California Jack Russell Terrier lost in Yellowstone National Park since early September, has been reunited with her owner and is returning home. Rescuers caught the dog Wednesday after she managed to survive the cold, find food and avoid coyotes in the wild for more than a month.

“The dog that was loose in the Canyon Village area was captured and is alive and well,” Yellowstone National Park spokesperson Linda Veress confirmed to SFGATE.

On Wednesday, at a veterinarian’s office with Luna and the dog’s owner, rescuer Katie Boucher provided an update on SFGATE’s Luna’s condition and provided some details about how the rescue unfolded.

“We just know she’s skinny,” said Boucher, president of the Norris Ark Training and Recovery Center, a nonprofit animal rescue in Norris, Montana. Luna lost about half her weight, going from about 20 pounds to just over 10 pounds.

After more than a month of trying to capture Luna, Boucher finally received a promising update from a park employee on Tuesday: Luna was circling around the trap set up for her — a doghouse with a bed of straw and grass inside — and was lying down nearby. “I wanted to make sure she had a place with something dry that she could take shelter in,” Boucher said. When she discovered that the dog had become accustomed to being near the trap, she felt confident that the rescue would take place within a few days.

At 9 a.m. Wednesday, Luna’s owner approached the trap, which had been left open so Luna could come and go as she pleased. Her dog was sitting inside the kennel waiting for her. “Luna came out and greeted her and we were able to put a leash on her and we left,” Boucher said.

The dog’s survival story began on September 10, when a California family visiting Yellowstone locked her in a cabin at Canyon Village Campground and placed a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door. The family then went to Norris Geyser, where dogs are not allowed. According to Boucher, maintenance staff opened the door anyway and Luna escaped. Staff chased the dog, causing it to flee the campground and into the wild.

“We are very relieved that Luna was found,” said Todd Walton, director of marketing and sales at Yellowstone National Park Lodges. “We want to offer a huge congratulations to everyone who worked to bring her home.” But Walton noted that pets are not allowed to be left alone in any of the rooms, per hotel policy, so the staff didn’t expect there to be any pets inside when they came to deliver fresh towels requested by the family. “It’s a really unfortunate thing in every way,” he said. “It was an accident.”

The family remained hopeful in the days following Luna’s escape, as visitors and staff recorded numerous sightings. But a week later, rangers told them their animal’s survival was unlikely given the cold temperatures and the presence of coyotes in the area. The family returned home and contacted Boucher shortly after.

As the weeks go by, Boucher remains optimistic. Luna is scrappy and has survival skills after living on the streets during her first year of life, Boucher said. But trapping efforts were complicated by Luna’s location inside a national park, where traditional food couldn’t be used in case it attracted the predators Luna avoided. Additionally, rescuers were racing against time to find and catch Luna before the campground and road access to the area closed next Monday for the winter.

Against all odds, the dog survived for 35 days in the wild before Boucher’s plan worked and Luna could be brought to safety. “Thank you, guys, for giving her the media attention she needed to spread the prayers and save this dog,” she said.

This breaking news has been updated.