A small army of community volunteers worked over a week to locate and rescue a lost dog on Vancouver Island.
The mastiff-retriever named Luna chased an animal out of the yard of Highlands area resident Saryta Schaerer, before getting lost and falling down a steep slope onto a two foot-wide ledge.
Rescuers and neighbors kept up the search for days, but with no luck.
“It was terrible because it was getting colder and she always sleeps next to me or my daughter,” said Schaerer.
Across a body of water from where Luna had gotten stuck, local resident Ron Cheeke picked up her trail after he heard her cries for help. He notifed ROAM, a local pet rescue organization, before going out on a boat to try and locate the source of the barking.
“I used a pot and pan, and every time I banged on the pot and pan the dog barked back,” Cheeke told CTV News on Monday.
That’s when ROAM arrived and finally got to Luna. They pulled her up with a harness and reunited the dog with her owner.
Local news reports that the rescue team were almost as happy to do the work as Schaerer was to see her dog again.
“Your dog’s out there, it’s just a matter of time until we get her,” said ROAM volunteer Andy Carswell, speaking hypothetically to anyone who loses a pet. “Sometimes they come back in an hour, sometimes it’s a day, sometimes its seven, like Luna,” he said. “Just don’t give up, have faith.”
WATCH CTV coverage of the rescue below:
Frannie after she was rescued, when she weighed 125 pounds – credit @frannies.frightDespite the challenge…
Rescued mother and puppies found beneath rubble in Ukraine-released PETAThe war in Ukraine recently passed…
Alan Moncayo and Jihoo - credit, Alan Moncayo, released to the pressWhen Alan Moncayo arrives…
Heat seeking drone finds dog in thicket By John Watton w Drone SAR For Lost…
Joint interment of a dog and a human - by S.R. Thompson, courtesy of SABAP-VR…
American Pit Bull Annabel Lee in recovery - Courtesy of Alicia AldersonA 3-legged American pit…