Yellowstone missing dog is homeward bound after being lost for over a month

A California family’s dog has been found “alive and well” and reunited with her owners after she had been missing for over a month during a vacation at Yellowstone National Park.

Luna, a 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier, bolted from her family’s cabin during the vacation on Sept. 10 from the park’s Canyon Village area.

On Wednesday, Luna was caught and reunited with her owners after she was spotted crossing intersections and walking through employee housing.

The dog also entered lodges through automatic doors at the park, home to grizzly bears, wolves and other animals.

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

Katie Boucher, the volunteer leading the rescue effort and a spokesperson for Luna’s owners, told The Associated Press that 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.

Luna was brought to a veterinarian on Wednesday, where her owner held the dog as it was examined.

“She’s underweight, but that’s to be expected. She’s alert and in good spirits,” Boucher, president of the Montana-based Norris Ark Training and Recovery Center, said. “I was crying all the way up here from the park.”

Luna had escaped after her family left her in their cabin with a “Do Not Disturb” sign while they went to explore the park.

The family believes 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.

Boucher said that the family joined the search for their dog but were told it “likely died” and could have been “possibly killed by a coyote.”

The family remained at Yellowstone for another week after Luna went missing and began following leads on recorded sightings before returning to California without the dog.

Days after leaving Yellowstone, the family learned that Luna had been spotted and contacted Boucher.

“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.

Boucher said that this was the last week she would have been able to search for the dog because she was sleeping at an RV park for seasonal employees, which closes on Monday.

Norris Ark Training and Recovery Center shared a photo on Facebook to announced Luna’s rescue on Wednesday.

“WE GOT HER!!! Luna is safe,” the post read.

—With files from The Associated Press