Twenty-three years ago two household canines and a smart-mouthed Himalayan cat endured bear attacks, porcupine stings, and near drowning in order to be reunited with their family. Of course, their owners always intended to return to them, so all the trials and tribulations Shadow, Chance, and Sassy experienced in Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey were completely for naught. Animals, even when voiced by the likes of Michael J. Fox and Sally Field, don’t always demonstrate great foresight.
A 10-month-old Belgian Malinois named Rylee lived through her own incredible journey after falling overboard from her owner’s boat in Lake Michigan. Kristin and Ed Casas, Rylee’s dog parents, were dealing with an electrical issue when Rylee slipped from the deck into the surrounding waters. When the pup’s owners realized she was missing, they issued a “dog overboard” announcement. Rylee was nowhere to be seen.
That is, until Lynn Fiedor, operator of the Lost Dog Search Team Facebook page, caught wind of the missing canine. Though out of the group’s usual range of missing pets, Fiedor published a post asking for information as to Rylee’s whereabouts. Search efforts expanded exponentially almost instantly. “We ended up having over 20,000 people look at our post online and when I saw that I was like … we’re going to find the dog,” Fiedor told Up North Live.
And she was right. Rylee was located in a nearby campground soon after a local boater reported seeing her. All in all, she swam six miles and traveled approximately 12 more by foot–all without having her inner monologue narrated. Now that’s incredible.
(Via Mashable)