Dog comes home after 77 mile trek

A dog named Moon has returned home after a 77 mile trek across Nevada mountains. It walked for 7 days and smelled like a skunk but was otherwise okay.

Link: Ely Times (April 21, 2008)

This kind of thing has been reported so many times, it's hard not to find it credible, except for it being such an incredible feat. Most humans couldn't find their way home across 10 miles of wilderness. I've always wondered just what these animals might be attuned to, and whether their routes are straight bee-lines or desperately confused. Even Disney has covered the phenomenon ("Homeward Bound" & its sequels), so it's part of our pop culture. But in reality it seems to be a very rare thing, and heartwarming, so it always makes the good side of the news.

Here's an extreme case, a dog that returned after 6 years:

Link: Animal News Center, Inc, via Buzzle.com (2003)

Though after such a long time, it probably had another home in the meantime.

Well, I'll take happy animal news any day. If only they could speak ...