Dog who fell off a fishing boat into the Pacific Ocean 5 weeks ago is found alive and well

A dog who fell off a fishing boat in the Pacific Ocean was “presumed dead” for about a month, but in an amazing and heart-restoring twist to the story, she’s been found alive on an island 80 miles off the coast of San Diego.

The 1-year-old German Shepherd, named Luna, was reported missing February 10 about 2 miles off of San Clemente Island by her fisherman owner Nick Hayworth.

“He told us Luna was a very powerful swimmer and that he was 90 percent sure she’d head for shore,” Sandy DeMunnik, public affairs officer for the US Navy’s Naval Base Coronado said. “So our staff searched the island, but with no luck. He stayed in the area for two more days to look for her, and after a week, we considered her lost at sea and presumed dead.”

luna
Luna, a 1-year-old German Shepard, had been missing for five weeks after falling off a fishing boat in the Pacific Ocean, when U.S. Navy staff found her at the Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island in California, March 15, 2016. (ABC News)

But this past Tuesday morning, the dog was discovered by Navy staff arriving on the island for work.

“They saw Luna just sitting on the side of the road wagging her tail,” she said. “Keep in mind, there are no domesticated animals on the island, so it was a stunning sight.”

From ABC News:

Navy staff were able to determine Luna was the dog who had fallen off the boat last month, DeMunnik said. She added they immediately informed Hayworth that Luna was found alive and well.

Luna has since been examined by a wildlife biologist for the San Diego Zoo, who determined she was “perfectly healthy other than being a little undernourished,” DeMunnik said.

“It looks like she’d been surviving off of mice for the past few weeks.”

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