Dog Found After 2 Years Lost in California Forest: 'We Are Forever Grateful,' Says Family
A dog was found after two years lost in a California's Tahoe National Forest, according to reports. The bright-eyed golden retriever went missing on a hiking trip with Erin and Nathan Braun in October 2012, but managed to survive two harsh winters to reunite with them earlier this month.
The dog that was found after two years missing is named Murphy; she ran away during their camping trip over 20 months ago, the Brauns told KXTV. At the time the family searched for him, posted up fliers and created a Facebook group, but their 5-year-old dog couldn't be found.
In mid-June Jason Smith was camping at the French Meadows Reservoir, about five miles where the Brauns were two years ago, when he spotted a dog that looked like Murphy coming out of the woods. He wasn't able to capture her then but he did call the Brauns, who immediately drove out to Tahoe National Forest.
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After days of searching for Murphy, they hatched a plan.
"We left her bed and our clothing behind with the campground host, in the hopes that she would respond," the Brauns wrote in a Facebook post.
Soon afterwards, they got a call from Smith.
"The very first night I laid it out I heard some movement," he explained. "There was Murphy, sleeping on the blanket. And right there I knew, that's Murphy. That's their dog. It was curled up with its head on the hat."
Smith was able to get Murphy on a leash and then into a kennel as well. The Brauns came to get her on Father's Day, and even though there are some small physical differences— the dog was "thin and frail" from her living in the wilderness— she was "happy to be home with her family," they said.
"It was very touching," Smith admitted. "The whole family was crying. I was doing my best not to cry."
"Words cannot describe how grateful we are," the Brauns wrote.
