|
 Everybody
likes to take their dog along with them whenever they can and the dogs always
like to go. So it was natural for Nick Haworth, a commercial fisherman from San
Diego, Ca., to bring Luna with him when he went fishing. Luna is a German
shepherd-husky mix and at just 18 months old, already a seasoned sea dog.
In the pre-dawn darkness of February 10th, 2016, Nick and his crewmate were busy
hauling in a catch while Luna was riding in the back of the boat, enjoying the
salty smells of the ocean and subtle scents of San Clemente Island, located
about 2 miles away upwind. Then, unbeknownst to the crew, somehow Luna fell
overboard.
Within a few minutes of her disappearance, the two men realized that Luna was
gone. They frantically searched the water while yelling her name, but they could
neither see nor hear their missing companion. When the sun finally rose hours
later, there was still no sign of Luna. Nick was heartsick but he knew that Luna
was a strong swimmer so he felt confident that she would have made it to the
island. Since San Clemente Island is a Navy-owned training base, Nick contacted
Navy personnel and told them about Luna.
For two days Nick searched the waters around San Clemente in his boat and Navy
staff combed the island for a week looking for the missing dog. With no trace of
Luna to be found the search was eventually called off and Luna was presumed lost
at sea.
But after more than a month had passed, that presumption was proven wrong this
Tuesday, March 15th, when staff at the island’s Naval Auxiliary Landing Field
saw a dog sitting on the side of the road. That is a very unusual sight there
since dogs are not allowed on San Clemente Island for environmental reasons.
They knew it must be Luna. They called her name and Luna came right over, tail
happily wagging.
A biologist examined Luna, and other than being a little thin, found her to be
in good shape. It was speculated that Luna might have been able to catch some
rodents or scavenged dead fish for food. Luna was flown to the Navy base in San
Diego. There Luna was given a new dog tag to replace the one she had lost. The
tag has Luna's name, and in honor of her dramatic experience, it also includes
the motto of the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape course that is taught
on the island to Navy and Marine personnel: Keep the Faith.
Luna and Rick were reunited on Thursday, March 17th, more than a month after
they were separated, and they were both thrilled to see each other again. |
