Family dog rescued from Yellowstone wilderness after more than a month
Saman Shafiq, USA TODAYThu, October 15, 2026 at 9:02 PM UTC
A family dog who got lost during a vacation in Yellowstone National Park was found "alive and well" after spending more than a month in the wilderness.
Luna, a 10-year-old Jack Russel Terrier Chihuahua mix, escaped a locked cabin in the park's Canyon Village on Sept. 10, 2026, Norris Ark Training & Recovery Center president Katie Boucher told USA TODAY.
"While her humans were getting lunch she was carefully left behind in their cabin, properly locked, and the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door," the nonprofit said in a Sept. 23 post on Facebook. "Housekeeping made a mistake, opened the door, and Luna darted out into the park."
The family returned to the cabin to find Luna gone and "staff frantic to find her."
Search mission activated
A search mission was set in motion and Luna's owners remained at the park for another week looking for her before going back home to California, SF Gate reported. Norris Ark, in an FAQ, said the family "could not secure lodging and no one is permitted to stay in Yellowstone longer than a day trip without some kind of lodging or camping plan."
While rescuers and park officials requested the public report sightings, they warned against "providing unsolicited help" and looking for Luna on their own. Authorities also requested the public keep their distance and not call out to her if they saw her.
"Do not chase or follow her," Norris Ark said in the FAQ. "She is in survival mode, and those efforts will drive her further into the back country."
As days turned into weeks, Luna was spotted several times around Canyon Village but could not be corralled.
Norris Ark said Luna's rescue was "a daunting recovery effort," and had a low "chance of success," especially with campground and road access set to close soon for the season on Nov. 1.
"Human safety comes first and as much as that reality pains us, we are up against hard deadlines that may get shorter if weather moves in too soon," Norris Ark said in the Facebook post last week. "If we have to leave without her, we will reapply with NPS as soon as there is safe access in the spring. We will never abandon her. She is still alive until we have found her not alive."
Trapping Luna
Rescuers, with the permission of the National Park Service, laid out a "special live trap developed to catch lost scared dogs" for Luna hoping to capture her. Boucher said the trap was deployed on Oct. 4 and a doghouse was added to the trap on Oct. 9.
Finally, on Oct. 14 at around 9 a.m., Boucher said they sent Luna's "owner out on foot to check the trap" and there she was "sheltering in the little doghouse we placed there for her to use during the storm."
"We shut the door and she was finally safe," Boucher said.
"Seeing that little nose peeking out of that doghouse is one of the moments in my life that I will never forget," she added. "Pure joy and relief. Answered prayers."
Luna is currently still under veterinarian supervision, but Boucher said she is "expected to make a full recovery."
"Her weight loss is about 10 pounds, and she has a few anomalies in her bloodwork," Boucher said.
How did Luna survive so long in the wild?
Boucher said the park has "many hiding places she could use to stay warm and safe from predators."
"She is very fast," the nonprofit president said "Most lost dogs in the wilderness will eat the feces of the forest dwellers to survive. Water was abundant and not a concern."
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Family dog rescued from Yellowstone wilderness after more than a month
Source: Nature