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In an "incredibly unusual" tale of canine survival, a German shepherd dog named Blaze has beaten the odds in Indian River County, Florida, enduring two months on the run before finally being found last week. For 50 days, Blaze skillfully navigated traffic, eluded dangerous wildlife, and scrounged for food across approximately 10 miles of both urban and rural land.
Blaze's odyssey began just one hour after being adopted from a shelter in March, when he leapt over a fence at his new home. A team of around two dozen volunteers, including law enforcement and county animal control officers, tracked Blaze as he traveled along dirt roads, across pastureland, and alongside canals, reaching roughly 2.5-miles west of his new home.
In April, after a failed 20-minute pursuit, the team lost track of Blaze. Despite the setback, his new owner, Brittany Norair, remained hopeful, vowing she "would not give up” on the pup. Then last week, more than seven weeks after he went missing, Blaze was finally found and returned to his new home. Kate Meghji, CEO of the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County, said that despite the hardships, Blaze was "in great shape, all things considered," although he did lose nearly 20 pounds.
Source: USA Today