ESTES PARK, Colo. — A family has been reunited with their dog after it was swept away by a current in the Poudre River.
Banjo, a 9-month-old Husky mix, was on a hike with his human brother, Braeden Brooks, when the pair slipped and fell together into the swiftly flowing river. They were instantly separated, and although Brooks was able to climb back out of the river, Banjo had already been swept downstream.
Brook’s mother, Donna Hill, began organizing a search party immediately.They continued to look for their beloved family member, day in and day out, with no luck. Soon they began to fear the worst for their pup. Even though Brooks had to return to his school in Kentucky, he came home weekly to help find his friend.
Six weeks had passed when Hill got an unexpected phone call from the Estes Park Police Department. Banjo had finally been found. She was frightened and exhausted and down 25 pounds, but she was alive.
Banjo was covered in ashes, which police say indicates that she had trekked through a forest burn zone. In fact, those who found her say she travelled an estimated 50 miles searching for food and her family. When the family was finally reunited with Banjo, Hill made the following statement to her local news outlet:
“We were thrilled, just absolutely thrilled, to know someone had her at that point.”
Banjo was able to be identified because her family’s information was on her collar. However, should that collar have fallen off somehow, Banjo was not microchipped.
View the news story here:
Via The Coloradoan | TheDodo | 9News |
