Missing Iditarod sled dog found after 1-month, 100-mile journey
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- It was an amazing reunion between an Alaska woman and her beloved husky sled dog that went missing for a whole month after taking part in the grueling Iditarod race.
The dog went on a journey of more than 100 miles before finally being found.
The most demanding sled dog race in the world -- 1,000 miles through the Alaskan tundra -- was too much for 3-year-old Sarabi.
Her musher dropped the dog off midway through because Sarabi had a sore shoulder, reports ABC News.
"Even though she wanted to stay in the race, I made the decision to leave her at the checkpoint," said musher Laura Allaway. "But obviously, she wasn't done running!"
Sarabi managed to escape in Anchorage and went missing for month. Volunteers passed out flyers and hung posters in hopes of finding her.
The dog made her way to Glacier View, 100 miles away from Anchorage. Then, last week, she turned up again. This time, she was poking around a church in Palmer, 40 miles from Anchorage.
"Two ladies in a car that were looking for Sarabi stopped and mentioned that they had seen Sarabi walk through our back yard," said Rev. Tim Carrick.
Carrick put out food and mounted a camera.
"I checked the SD card, and there was over 250 pictures of Sarabi, and it was confirmed that it was her," he said.
He finally managed to corral the dog into a cage.
All told, Sarabi traveled at least 150 miles. Not quite an Iditarod, but impressive enough.
"She is made for it. She loves it. She did not want to be dropped when I dropped her. So, I can't wait to give her a chance to be able to complete the race," Allaway said.
Sarabi's musher says she can't wait to welcome her back to the pack.
