Calif. family’s dog, let out by campground staff, now roams Yellowstone alone

On the morning of Sept. 10, a California family visiting Yellowstone National Park locked their 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier, Luna, in a Canyon Village Campground cabin. They hung the “Do Not Disturb” sign to ensure Luna stayed safe and secure while they visited Norris Geyser, where dogs aren’t allowed. But housekeeping staff opened the door anyway that afternoon, and Luna ran out.

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Now, just over a month later, Luna is still lost in the vast wilderness. 

“This is a very complicated, daunting task to try to find a 20-pound animal in Yellowstone National Park,” said Katie Boucher, president of Norris Ark Training and Recovery Center, a nonprofit animal rescue in Norris, Montana. “I don’t think people really understand what that means.” 

Rescuers, Park Service employees and visitors have spotted Luna in the park numerous times, confirming she is still alive. But fall snow has already blanketed the area, with more storms on the way. Rescuers have just one week to save Luna before the area where she is lost closes to visitors and staff for the season.

Boucher, who is heading rescue efforts and caught a glimpse of Luna last Thursday, told SFGATE that employees made “big errors” during initial attempts to recapture the dog. “But people make mistakes,” she said. 

After the dog got out of the cabin, housekeeping employees initially chased after Luna, rather than alerting the family and park authorities, Boucher said. This pushed the scared dog farther into the woods. 

“It scared her really badly,” Boucher said. “It’s the worst possible thing a person can do when an animal escapes them, because they all revert to a feral prey state at that point. They are just seeking safety.”

Luna was spotted multiple times the day she disappeared, as well as in the days following. A tracking dog picked up her scent and followed it, but wasn’t able to find her. Her family stayed and searched for their dog for a week, but left after rangers told them the dog probably wouldn’t have survived the freezing temperatures or coyotes in the area. 

Luna’s family, who don’t want to speak to the media at this time, got in touch with Boucher after they returned to California. “They’re devastated,” Boucher said. “Their dog is everything to them.” Boucher, who’s found dogs deep in the Montana wilderness before, is determined to save Luna.

And while Yellowstone’s rugged landscape is challenging, visitor and employee sightings have helped rescuers pinpoint Luna’s location. 

“I’m very scared for this little girl, but I do have a lot of hope that we can get her out if we have enough time,” Boucher said. “The odds are good that we’re going to get her back as long as the weather doesn’t come in too fast, as long as the public doesn’t disrupt our operations, and as long as we don’t run out of time.” 

Boucher credits Luna’s size and skills for helping her survive over the past month. Luna was a feral dog for the first year of her life before being rescued by her family; Boucher believes these skills are helping her now. “There is plenty of forest food available to her, even all winter long, because she will eat the feces from the other forest animals,” Boucher said. “She will eat the snow. She will drink her own urine.” 

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Boucher said she and her volunteers have special permission from the National Park Service, including a trapping permit, as well as some of the maintenance and infrastructure companies inside the park, to access areas the general public can’t. Rangers have been helpful, Boucher said. “The National Park Service absolutely wants us to recover this dog,” she said. “They have bent over backwards to make sure we can.” 

Delaware North, a hospitality concessionaire in the park, has provided Boucher with food and lodging over the past three weeks. Xanterra, the concessionaire whose employees let the dog out, gave her a discount on a two-night stay, Boucher said. 

While members of the public might want to help, it’s important to give rescuers and volunteers the space to do their work. Boucher didn’t share specific tactics or locations for that reason. “We don’t want to talk about exactly where she is,” she said. “We will say she’s in a stable location that she has chosen wisely. We are seeing her every single day.” 

A dusting of snow blanketed Yellowstone over the weekend. While light snow might help rescuers track the dog’s paw prints, incoming fall weather will shut down rescue attempts next Monday, when roads and campgrounds close for the season. Fall also means colder temperatures and increased bear activity in the area, creating additional safety concerns for both Luna and her rescuers.

“Freezing to death is a very real possibility,” Boucher said. “The risk of being eaten by a bear is a very real possibility.” 

Trapping Luna is further complicated by all the predators — bears, wolves, coyotes and mountain lions — in the area. Boucher can’t use food to lure in Luna. “There’s no teriyaki marinade getting spread on the grass like we would normally do,” she said.

If visitors spot Luna, they should not chase her. Report sightings, time and location to the National Park Service at 307-344-2643 or Norris Ark at 406-946-2825. A trap is set for Luna — now all she needs to do is walk into it.