Luna, American Bulldog Mix

At last, Luna safe at home
Missing dog, owners are reunited after 9 days
By Carol Demare, Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 12, 2010

COLONIE ­-- After nine days on the lam, Luna, the deaf bulldog mix who broke out of her boarding pen at a veterinary hospital, was back in her owners' arms Monday, a few pounds lighter but none the worse for wear.


Luna, the American Bulldog Mix that has been missing from the Shaker Veterinary Hospital since Jan. 2, was found in good health today. Here, she greets reporters during a visit with her owners, Shelley and Ralph Rataul

Officials at the Shaker Veterinary Hospital on Maxwell Road, from where Luna escaped at 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 2, said it's possible the dog ate food left out by concerned dog lovers throughout Latham and Loudonville, drank water that wasn't frozen and may have found shelter in old barns and a vacant greenhouse during freezing temperatures.

Luna lost about 12 pounds, said Ken Wolfe, assistant director of the veterinary hospital. She weighed 65 pounds when she pushed open the door to her crate and took off.

As Luna looked at the cameras and showed her friendly side at an afternoon news conference at the veterinary hospital, her rescue was detailed by Wolfe and her owners.

It began about 12:30 a.m., when dogs started barking inside a home on Springwood Manor Drive which runs alongside the property of State Police Troop G headquarters on Route 9 in Loudonville.

Family members looked out and saw Luna in their partially fenced-in backyard. They recognized the dog from a story that appeared in the Times Union on Sunday, said Shelley Rataul, one of the dog's owners.

They tried to get the dog in the house but Luna barked and wouldn't go in. So, they called the veterinary hospital and from there Ralph Rataul, the other owner, hurried to the Springwood Manor Drive home.

Source: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/At-last-Luna-safe-at-home-553552.php
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Another version of the story, with video, is at: http://capitalregion.ynn.com/content/top_stories/492769/missing-deaf-dog--luna--found-safe/