Beloved dog vanishes on hunting trip. Then, she’s found ‘struggling’ in Arizona river
Gary Overman was dove hunting with his 9-year-old German shorthaired pointer in Arizona when she vanished.
The pair were near the Colorado River in Yuma, and the dog, Stella, disappeared into the bushes, the U.S. Border Patrol Yuma Sector said in a Sept. 18 Facebook post.
Overman panicked, spending two hours frantically scouring the area for her, the agency said.
With “the thick brush along the bank,” Overman couldn’t see the river or any sign of her, according to the agency.
Unbeknownst to Overman, as he searched up and down for his “beloved hunting dog,” agents spotted “an exhausted Stella swimming in the river about a mile downstream,” the agency said.
She was “struggling in the water” when agents pulled her from the water onto their boat, the agency said.
After calling the number listed on her collar, she was reunited with Overman for a “happy ending,” the agency said.
“It was a huge blessing,” Overman said, according to the post.
Yuma is about a 180-mile drive southwest from Phoenix.
This story was originally published September 19, 2024 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Beloved dog vanishes on hunting trip. Then, she’s found ‘struggling’ in Arizona river."
