Lost dog found in Manitoba town reunites with U.S. family more than 2 years after crossing border into Canada

Afrail white dog with a distinctly goofy mouth that ran away from itsU.S.homein the middle of a snowstorm in late 2016 was caught in a coyote trap beforereconnectingwith its American family on Monday in Canada.

Charliehadn't been seen by the familysince he bolted out the door of theirhome in Grand Forks, N.D.,as snow blanketed the yard more than 2 years ago.

Catherine Herzogsaid she and her family were deeply concerned about their lost dog,who had joined them when he was a tiny puppy that could fit in the palm of her hand.

"Weeks turned into months and months turned into years, and we'd never heard anything, so we had assumed that either he had frozen to death or got hit by a plow or a car," she said.

Charlie, a crossbreed between a pug and a miniature American Eskimodog, had left behind his brother and two daughters.

Herzog said she frantically calledpolice, shelters, kennels, and vets in the area to no avail.

Dog gone

Meanwhile, residents in a rural Manitoba community more than 160 kilometres away from Charlie's home in North Dakota were quite confused by a strange dog that mysteriously began roaming around town.

Angie Prince-Smokeruns a community group on Facebook for people who live in Morris, about 60 kilometres south of Winnipeg. An animal lover herself, with three caninesand four cats at home, she said people had been posting in the group about spotting theseemingly wild dog for the past two years.

"Many posts were in the wintertime because everyone was concerned of his safety," Prince-Smoke said."So everybody was posting 'whosedog is this? We can'tcatch him. I've tried to lure him in.'"

Charlie somehow managed to evade capture and survivethe harsh Prairie winters. Residents, who would toss scraps of food to him,believed he was abandoned or neglected. They would see him hanging around near thegrounds of the town's annual stampede and rodeo, looking fearful.

"As soon as they got near him, he was gone," Prince-Smoke said.

Family reunion

On Aug. 2, more than two years after getting lost, Charlie was caught in a coyote trapset up by the town's animal control services to catch him. Hewas impoundedat the7 Acre Wood Animal Boarding Kennel, in the Morris area.

RobertZacharias, who owns the boarding facility, said the lost pet was agitated and scared upon arrival.

"It looked like a dog that had definitely been on the run for a while," he said.

He was still wearing identification tags on his collar, which allowed him to be tracked to his American family,who immediately recognizedhim by hislittle tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

"I never in my wildest dreams expected to get that phone call," Herzog said when she heard her dog had been found.

"Never, ever thought he would've made it all the way to Canada."

Herzogmade thetripnorth from her home in Grand Forksto Morris immediately when she learned her missing pet was found.

"I made a beeline for Canada" her first time crossing over the border beyond Peace Gardens she said over the phone, hours after reuniting with Charlie. "We've missed that sweet little face of his."

When they were finally reunited,the dogbolted over to herbefore anyone at the pound could get a leash on him, she said.

"He was crying and giving kisses."

The two continued travelling north to Winnipeg, where Herzog arranged veterinary visits to properly vaccinate and check up on the pet.

"He was my little buddy. And he was always kind of frail, so it's amazing that he made it this long in the wild," Herzog said, chuckling while reflecting on the dog's adventures.

Herzog looks forward to bringing the previously pampered pooch back to his family in Grand Forks. She said she thanks the residents of Morriswho kept an eye on the dog and helped him stay alive.

"The people really went the extra effortto find his family, and we're just so grateful to all of them to have him back."