Abby, blind dog

Blind dog lost in storm reunited with owners
Source: AP
27 Dec 2012

A blind dog that became lost in a snowstorm in Alaska has found its way home in what its owners are calling a Christmas miracle.

Abby, an eight-year-old mixed breed dog, went missing on Dec 13 in bad weather in the town of Fairbanks.

While her owners assumed they would never see the dog again, it survived temperatures of -40C and travelled 10 miles before being taken in by a local vet.

"It's a miracle, there's no other words to describe it," said McKenzie Grapengeter, Abby's owner. "We never expected to have her to be returned safe and alive."

Musher and vet Mark May said he came across the dog while running his team on Dec 19, but didn't stop to pick it up.

"It ran with us for about a mile on the way home before she fell off the pace, but I had a big dog team so I couldn't grab it," he said. "I said, 'boy I hope it finds somebody's house.'"

The next day, the dog turned up at Mr May's house.

"Everybody just assumed it was some kind of scaredy-cat, but there it was in front of the door in our dog lot and it was blind," Mr May said. "It was sitting there, all the way from 14 mile on the winter trail down into this neighborhood, I guess by just sniffing, so I picked it up and brought it in."

To Mr May's surprise, the dog had no signs of frostbite.

"No frozen ears, no frozen toes, she'll probably go back home and it'll (be) business as usual. She's no worse for wear but quite an adventure," he said.

The Grapengeter family hadn't tagged or put a microchip in the dog, but the community used social media to track down Abby's owners.

"We're so, so grateful for all (the community's) hard work," McKenzie Grapengeter said. "They've given us the most amazing Christmas gift we could ever ask for."

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9766860/Blind-dog-lost-in-storm-reunited-with-owners.html