Lessie, a 6-year-old German Shepard who was lost for almost two months has been found.
An experienced camper was able to earn the canine's trust and save her.
"So excited. I knew that she could survive. Dogs are really smart. But it that's a hard place for a dog to be lost," said Jennifer Cadigan, with The Retrievers, an all-volunteer, non-profit that specializes in helping families find their missing dogs.
Lessie bolted after the car she was in with one of her owners ran into a wall and flipped on the Gunflint Trail, just north of Grand Marais at the end of June.
The Retrievers let the community know to be on the lookout for Lessie. About a month later, she was seen on the east side of Ham Lake, about three miles from the accident scene.
A man from Minneapolis, who is familiar with the area, volunteered to camp there for a few days to see if he could find Lessie and bring her home.
"We talked about where to go, what to do, how to do it. He had helped with a few other Retrievers cases, so he had a little bit of training, and he relied on that, and he did a great job," said Cadigan.
Lessie was quickly caught on camera on the very first night because the camper put out some food and a trail cam behind his campsite. He was eventually able to convince her to trust him and by the fourth day, he was able to feed her by hand then put a leash on her and walk her out of the woods to be reunited with her owners.
"She was real apprehensive at first, which is normal. But as soon as she realized who it was, she exploded. Just so happy and jumping on her mom and just so happy to be there," said Cadigan.
Lessie may have survived on a diet of fish guts because the campground was a popular place for people to clean their fish.
They say Lessie's story should be a reminder to the families of other missing dogs to keep the faith and not lose hope that they will return home on day.
"If your dog gets lost, don't give up. You know they are super smart. They can survive. Keep looking. Keep trying. Don't give up," said Cadigan.
Source: FOX9