We’ve got the perfect story for a cold, snowy Monday. A hunting dog that was lost in Montana for a week was reunited with its owner.
68-year-old Roger Jacobs had raised up his dog, Salty, from the time she was just a little puppy. The dog, now seven years old, was even trained to go hunting with Jacobs. But about a week before Christmas, Salty was able to escape out of a gate on the property because the latch was unlocked.
As you can imagine, Christmas just wasn’t the same without Salty around. Jacobs’ daughter, 42-year-old Becky Anderson, explained as much to SWNS saying that the holiday was “a little less bright.” She also explained that the family spent days and nights driving around looking for their lost pup. They even tracked her footprints in the snow.
“We spent day and night driving around looking for her, tried tracking her footprints in the snow,” Anderson said. “We initially believed she was chasing deer and then disappeared — as my dad would describe it, ‘he was gut shot.'”
Family Receives Hopeful News Regarding Missing Hunting Dog
Then something happened that gave the family some hope. About a week after Salty ran off, a family friend called to say they thought they had seen the dog running across the Yellowstone River.
“I tried my best not to get my hopes up especially knowing Salty had been gone for a week in below zero temperatures,” Anderson admitted.
Despite not wanting to get her hopes up, she still drove out to see if it was actually her. It’s a good thing she did because it turned out it was, indeed, their beloved Salty.
“When we pulled up, we all three barrelled out of the car jumping up and down. With one look we knew it was her.”
You might want to get your tissues ready, Outsiders. Because not only does this story end in the reuniting of owner and dog, but the entire moment was actually caught on camera. Check out the heartwarming footage down below.
“My dad was blowing his whistle until he could see her,” Anderson explained. “You can see him tuck his phone back in his pocket, put his gloves on, and fall down to his knees with tears of joy.”
You would have never known that Salty ran away and spent a week in freezing temperatures. She did come back with a couple of bumps and bruises, though. According to the outlet, the hunting dog had a wound on her front leg. In addition to that, she had some ice between her toes.
“The wound on her leg is healing up nicely and she has settled right back into her normal way of life. She lost about ten pounds through the ordeal but other than that, you would never know anything had happened.”
