Lost Jack Russell Survives a Month in Yellowstone and Comes Home Thanks to a T-Shirt

A 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier named Luna is back with her family after surviving more than a month alone in Yellowstone National Park. She bolted from a locked cabin in Canyon Village on September 10 when housekeeping accidentally opened the door, leaving her owners, who were visiting from California, to start a search across a landscape full of grizzly bears, wolves, and coyotes.

For weeks, sightings kept hope alive. Luna was spotted crossing roads, hanging around employee housing, and even slipping into lodges through automatic doors. When reports clustered near places her owners had already been, volunteer Katie Boucher, who led the search through Norris Ark Training and Recovery Center, set a live trap with one of the owners. The winning bait wasn’t food. It was scraps from a family T-shirt and pillowcase, and the familiar scent did the trick.

Luna lost about 10 pounds during her adventure, but the vet found her alert and in good spirits, and she’s on her way home to California. The story is a reminder to keep pets secure while traveling and, if one ever goes missing, that familiar scents and community sightings can make all the difference. Would your pet make it a month out there? Tell us in the comments.