Lost dog walks 35 miles home

Rangers at the Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve warned Kris Anderson nine days ago that she might as well give up on finding her lost dog, Georgia.

On the afternoon of June 27, the 8-year-old Shar Pei mix disappeared into the hills chasing a rabbit, and after many hours of fruitless searching Anderson couldn’t find a trace of her in the county park. With all the coyotes in the preserve, Anderson learned, it was unlikely that Georgia could have survived the night.

But Anderson and her daughter, Sarah Lucas, never gave up hope. Day after day, they made the 70-mile round trip to the preserve from Anderson’s home in Carlsbad.

At 8:30 Monday morning that hope was realized — Anderson was asleep at home when Georgia came barreling into her bedroom and leapt up on her bed. Emaciated, exhausted and covered in scratches, Georgia had walked at least 35 miles through canyons and suburbs, pushed open a side gate and let herself in through the backyard doggy door.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was thinking ‘what?’ ‘How could this be?’ ‘Am I dreaming or is this really happening,’” said Anderson, 64.

Veterinarian Luis Lizarraga, who examined Georgia a few hours later, said the 30-pound dog is in remarkable shape for what she endured, including predators, auto traffic, a torrential rainstorm on June 30 and Fourth of July fireworks.

“I’ve heard of dogs doing things like this but I’ve never seen it before. She’s very lucky, absolutely,” said Lizarraga, of Surfside Animal Hospital in Oceanside.

Georgia is just the latest case of a lost pet finding a way home against all odds. In 2012, a 3-year-old black Labrador named Bucky followed his owner nearly 500 miles from Virginia to South Carolina. A year later, a 4-year-old Florida cat named Holly made its way 190 miles home.

Animal behavior experts aren’t sure how domesticated pets develop this homing instinct, but they believe it’s related to pets’ keen sense of smell, mental mapping and visual memory.

Anderson and Lucas say they had both believed that if Georgia was still alive, she would find her way home eventually.

“I knew she would. She’s a fighter,” Lucas said.

Anderson, who works in recruiting with Glacier Water, adopted Georgia from an animal rescue group when the dog was just 8 months old. With her other rescue dog Chico, an 8-year-old Chihuahua mix, Anderson said she liked to take Georgia on long walks at parks and preserves all over the county.

Because Georgia has a streak of wanderlust, Anderson admits she has often allowed her dog off-leash to chase bunnies and squirrels. Not too long ago, she had to clamber over the fence into skating legend Tony Hawk’s Carlsbad backyard to retrieve the runaway dog.

Los Penasquitos has signs warning visitors not to let their dogs off-leash, but Anderson said she was in a remote area with Georgia and Chico and she figured there would be no harm if she let her dog run. When Georgia didn’t return after several calls, Anderson panicked and reached out to the park’s ranger staff.

Paul Kucharczyk, supervising park ranger for Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve, first spoke with Anderson on June 28, when a nearby resident called to say she spotted a dog running along the canyon ridge behind several homes. But sightings at the park dropped off after the first 24 hours, when Lucas said she believes Georgia was already making her way home.

Kucharczyk said hikers show up every weekend to walk the trails with dogs, and despite the posted signs and vocal reminders, many let their dogs off-leash, sometimes with heartbreaking results.

“Most people who let their dogs off-leash feel their dog is a good dog, but there are so many reasons to keep them on leash. The coyotes are out there doing their job and we have other dog-walkers, horses, ticks and rattlesnakes, especially in the summer,” he said.

Since arriving home Monday, Georgia has spent most of her time sleeping on the couch, eating and nervously watching for Anderson whenever she left the room. Anderson said she’s so grateful to have been given a second chance with Georgia and she has pledged to follow the leash laws from now on.

“I loved to let her off-leash because it’s her spirit and her light to run, but I’m taking a vow now that I won’t do that anymore,” she said.