There was a moment this week when tears of sadness gave way to elation for one California couple.
For a month, they had waited and worried about the fate of their beloved Jack Russell terrier, Luna, who disappeared with fate uncertain among the predators and wildlife in Yellowstone National Park. Surveillance footage and photos spurred hope their 10-year-old pup lost roughly 1,000 miles from home would be located, but the worst-case scenarios seemed just as plausible.
Then on Wednesday morning, Luna reunited with her owners thanks to the efforts of local rescuers, tourists and park employees, capping a survival tale that required avoiding bears and coyotes while locating enough sustenance and shelter.
It was an improbable conclusion that even seasoned rescuer Katie Boucher, president of the Montana-based Norris Ark Training & Recovery Center, which helped lead reunion efforts, found especially satisfying.
“It never gets old,” Boucher told The Times. “These are always special moments.”
Boucher said the California couple designated her as their spokesperson and wished to remain anonymous.
Luna’s journey began unexpectedly on Sept. 10 at the Canyon Village base camp section of the park.
Her owners left the dog, who Boucher believes may also be a Chihuahua mix, inside their cabin as they explored the national park. The couple placed a “do not disturb” sign on their door as they left, according to Boucher.
Yellowstone National Park regulations note that “pets may not be left unattended or tied to objects.”
Soon after, cabin staffers entered the room, which sent Luna scurrying. Boucher believes that frantic efforts to corral her may have further frightened Luna, who fled into the nearby woods.
While Boucher said it’s best not to bring dogs, the occurrence of missing pets is “very common.”
“It’s not a suitable environment for them,” she said. She added, though, that “most pets are recovered.”
After a week searching for Luna, her owners returned to California empty-handed. Boucher said she became aware of Luna’s absence through local social media posts.
She noted that tourists and security footage showed the dog had not wandered beyond a roughly two-mile stretch of the Canyon Village area.
Boucher said that Luna likely survived on an abundance of water and wild animal scat, though it’s not quite exactly known what her diet or shelter situation was. Boucher said Luna appeared to lose half her weight.
The wild-card factor in Luna’s tale of survival, Boucher said, was how she first came to live with the couple. Luna was a stray for her first year before she was found by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and adopted.
Boucher said her organization received permission from the National Park Service to set up a Missy Trap, an easy-to-build enclosure meant to capture pets in a humane manner.
There was a sense of urgency, Boucher said, as the crowds were starting to “dwindle down with the change in the weather.”
A small shelter was placed in the middle of the trap that proved very enticing for Luna. She was seen near the shelter in the days leading up to her capture.
Her owners traveled back from California to Yellowstone, where they all reunited Wednesday.
“They saw each other and there were some tears,” Boucher said, “quite a bit.”
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