Luna, a small dog missing for over a month in Yellowstone, is reunited with her owners

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. “I was crying all the way up here from the park."

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.

An escape into the wilderness

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 (some 9,000 square kilometers), 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.

“I cannot fathom how I would feel if I had been taking the vacation of a lifetime, and looking for all these memorable experiences in one of the most beautiful places on earth, and lost one of my family members there,” Boucher said.

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. The volunteers set a live trap using the family's scent to lure Luna in, avoiding food that could attract bears or other wildlife.

Time was running out as winter closes in

Boucher said this was the last week she would have been able to search for Luna. She was sleeping at an RV park for seasonal employees that closes next Monday.

The search had rallied locals and tourists alike. Marie Jaskula, an area resident who runs one of the park's general stores, posted signs at every park entrance urging visitors to be on the lookout for the dog.

“It’s really hard to stress the importance of do not chase,” said Jaskula. “Everybody sees this little dog buzz across the intersection or maybe around their employee housing, and the first instinct is to call her name and chase her.”

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Schuettler is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.