A German shepherd presumed dead after falling off a fishing boat in the Pacific Ocean was found alive on in island.
Luna, the one-year-and-a-half old dog, was with Nick Haworth, a fisherman from San Diego. When they were harvesting lobsters from their traps, the dog disappeared.
As soon as Luna disappeared, Haworth notified the authorities. He was sure that the dog made it to shore since she was a good swimmer.
For two days, Haworth looked for Luna and Navy personnel searched the island for a week but to no avail. She was the presumed dead.
"RIP Luna, you will be greatly missed," Haworth posted in his Facebook account as a tribute to her lost dog on Feb. 20.
On March 15, Haworth received good news; Luna appears to have swum ashore on San Clemente Island, 80 miles off the coast of San Diego, California.
Navy staff who came to the island for work spotted a dog sitting by the side of the road. It is something unusual for the staff since domesticated animals are not allowed on the island.
The staff immediately identified the dog as Luna, who was lost at sea five weeks ago. When they called the dog, she came right over.
A biologist from the San Diego Zoo examined the dog and found her healthy other than being thin and a little undernourished.
"It looks like she'd been surviving off of mice for the past few weeks," said Sandy DeMunnik, spokeswoman for Naval Base Coronado.
When Haworth received the news, he was overwhelmed and happy. On March 16, Luna was flown to the mainland and was handed over to Haworth's best friend, who will take care of Luna until her owner returns from a trip.
"Beyond stoked to have Luna back. I always knew she was a warrior," Haworth posted in his Facebook account.
Since Luna lost her dog tag during her journey, the Navy staff gave her a new one as a remembrance of her incredible survival. The reunion of Haworth and his beloved dog is much awaited as it showcases the strong bond that humans and dogs have
