Dog returned to Colorado woman after 96 days in the wild

Feb. 5 (UPI) -- A Colorado dog was reunited with his owner after spending 96 days wandering loose in the wild with only occasional sightings.

Kari Yarbrough said she was involved in a car crash outside Buena Vista Oct. 22 and she was taken to the Chaffee County jail because she had an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court.

Yarbrough said police placed her dogs, which were riding in the car with her, in a nearby yard, but she discovered upon her release that her 7-year-old wheaten terrier, Prince, had escaped from the yard.

She put out a plea for help finding Prince on Facebook, which caught the attention of Buena Vista animal advocate Monika Courtney.

Courtney and Yarbrough set out on a three-month search for Prince, who Yarbrough said is afraid of strangers. The women discovered a postal worker had spotted Prince, but the dog fled before he could be cornered.

"The most crucial time in any search, is you have to get on it right away," Courtney told KDVR-TV. "They can turn into feral dogs in weeks. It's like a switch goes off in their head."

The women were finally able to track down Prince and corner him behind a church Jan. 26.

"As soon as I put my hand under his nose, he knew it was me, and he could breathe, and he was OK," Yarbrough said.

She said Prince lost about 25 pounds and was covered with ticks, but his blood work came back clear and he is now recovering from his time in the wild.

"I would give anything to be able to hear his story," Yarbrough said.