A dog who was lost in a California desert for a week has been reunited with her family, and it’s nothing short of a Christmas miracle, Northern News Now reports.
As per their tradition, the Brannan family set out for their annual camping trip to the desert in Ridgecrest, California, on the weekend of Thanksgiving. With them were their five family dogs, including their 10-year-old Shih Tzu named Carly.
Peggy Brannan, the dog’s owner, told the news outlet that as they were enjoying a campfire in the desert one evening, fireworks suddenly started going off. Then Carly, startled by the loud sounds, took off into the desert, leaving the Brannans worried about her whereabouts.
The distraught family spent the rest of the days looking for her. Despite their extensive search efforts, there still were no sightings of Carly. Little did they know their wish of the Shih Tzu being present for the holidays would come true, thanks to complete strangers on social media.
Strangers find Shih Tzu in the desert
Desperate to find Carly, Brannan’s granddaughter, Bridgette, took to the Ridgecrest Facebook page to share details of their missing pooch. Surprisingly, someone reached out to her, confirming they had seen the dog. This was seven days after she went missing.
The individual told Bridgette they spotted Carly while riding their dirt bikes in the desert with friends. As fate would have it, the group embarked on their adventure on a different trail than they usually take, only to come across the stranded dog approximately 10 miles from where the Brannans were camping.
An overjoyed Bridgette then drove to the location to get Carly.
Finding their dog alive after several days in the desert is something the Brannans are finding hard to process.
“I just can’t believe, like she’s 10 years old. She has cataracts really bad,” Bridgette narrated. “And, you know, she’s like shaven down so for her to be out there in 28 degree weather, you know, at night with the winds and stuff out there,” she shared. “Like I just can’t, for a week.”
Commenting further on the miraculous find, Bridgette added: “I can’t believe she actually survived. I’m still in disbelief!”
