logo
Rescued dog from LA evades capture after escaping adoptive home in Alaska

Rescued dog from LA evades capture after escaping adoptive home in Alaska

Yahoo03-04-2025

The Brief
A German shepherd-husky mix named Jackie escaped her new home in Alaska after being rescued from a California shelter.
Despite multiple attempts, Jackie has eluded capture for nearly two months, living in a forested area near a busy road.
Volunteers and animal control officers continue to search for Jackie, hoping to build trust with her and bring her to safety.
JUNEAU, Alaska - A German shepherd-husky dog has evaded capture for nearly two months after being rescued from a California shelter and running away from her adoptive home in Alaska.
What we know
The formerly stray dog named Jackie was rescued from an overburdened shelter in Los Angeles County after devastating wildfires forced homeowners to turn over their pets. Jackie was given to the shelter days before the fires started.
She faced possible euthanasia, and was given a home far away in Juneau, Alaska.
But Jackie didn't stay long.
The German shepherd-husky mix slipped her collar on the first day with her new family in mid-February and absconded to a pocket of forest. Since then, she has been living by her wits — eluding a trap that was set with food such as cheeseburgers or chicken by animal control workers and volunteers worried about her.
RELATED: 'We Love LA' concert held for fire survivors, heroes
The forested area Jackie frequents is near a busy road. Further, black bears are starting to reemerge from hibernation, raising the potential the dog could have an unfortunate run-in. Volunteers have stopped putting out food and cat kibble to avoid attracting bears.
What they're saying
"Maybe this is what she wants, is to be free and feral like this," said Thom Young-Bayer, a Juneau animal control officer. "It's not a safe way for her to live here."
What we don't know
Jackie's whereabouts are still unknown.
Young-Bayer and his wife, Skylar, have been searching in their free time, often at night, for the skittish canine, painstakingly trying to build trust with her. Jackie has been known to burrow into the soft moss on the forest floor for cover and to avoid looking directly into the Young-Bayers' headlamps, making it hard to detect her eyes in the dark.
RELATED: FOUND Act: New law aims to help pets during natural disasters
On videos Thom Young-Bayer has taken with his infrared camera, Jackie's red heat signature resembles something out of the movie "Predator."
On a recent day, Young-Bayer caught a fleeting glimpse of Jackie in the lush forest, her dark coat helping camouflage her movements among the stumps and roots. He surveyed the undergrowth and surroundings but came up empty — as did a nearby trap he had been monitoring for weeks.
When Young-Bayer returned to a trail where a fellow animal control officer had been waiting, he learned Jackie had trotted past on a frozen pond.
Lately Young-Bayer been encountering Jackie on every visit. Young-Bayer says that's progress. Weeks ago, if Jackie saw someone, she would flee. He and his wife aren't trying to sneak up on the dog and want to help her feel safe, he said.
Dig deeper
Juneau Animal Rescue, a local pet adoption agency that also handles animal control and protective services, has asked that people who see Jackie report their sightings. Given the dog's skittishness, officials want to limit those searching for her.
The backstory
Little is known about Jackie's history. She was brought into a California shelter as a stray in early January, days before deadly wildfires swept through the Los Angeles area. She is believed to be 2 to 3 years old. Her intake forms listed her as quiet with a moderate anxiety and stress level.
Skylar Young-Bayer, who has volunteered with rescue groups in that region, helped arrange for Jackie and two other dogs at risk of being euthanized to be transferred to Juneau for adoption. Jackie was with a foster home before her adoption placing.
Other dogs have gained fame as fugitives, including Scrim, a 17-pound, mostly terrier mutt who was recaptured in New Orleans in February — in a cat trap — after months on the lam.
Mike Mazouch, animal control and protection director for Juneau Animal Rescue, noted Jackie didn't have much time to bond with her new family before bolting. Officers deemed trying to tranquilize her as too risky because they didn't know if they would be able to find her once she was sedated.
Mazouch accompanied Thom Young-Bayer to the forest last week to disassemble the trap when Jackie came within 50 feet (15 meters) of Mazouch on the frozen pond. Mazouch snapped a photo of her as she appeared between the skinny, tall trees. He called efforts to capture her a "battle of wills."
"She is not willing to give up, and we're not willing to give up, either," Mazouch said.
The Source
The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from various reports provided by Juneau Animal Rescue, animal control officers, and volunteers involved in the search for Jackie, the German shepherd-husky mix. This story was reported from Los Angeles.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Shipwreck mystery solved as lost vessel resurfaces 140 years after tragic sinking
Shipwreck mystery solved as lost vessel resurfaces 140 years after tragic sinking

New York Post

time7 hours ago

  • New York Post

Shipwreck mystery solved as lost vessel resurfaces 140 years after tragic sinking

This discovery made major waves. Researchers have discovered a vessel that sank over 140 years ago — closing the book on one of the UK's most enduring maritime mysteries. Footage of the long-lost wreckage is currently making waves online. The historic steamer, dubbed the SS Nantes, had sunk in 1888 after colliding with a German boat, resulting in the deaths of most of the crew, Jam Press reported. The freighter then lay undiscovered for nearly a century and a half until 2024, when diver and explorer Dominic Robinson identified the shipwreck by dinnerware he found at the wreck site. 5 'It's quite a sad story,' said Dominic Robinson (pictured), who helped identify the wreck. Jam Press 'Even though the wreck had been dived before, it was never identified and this small piece of broken plate allowed us to do exactly that,' the 50-year-old former army officer, who'd been diving for 35 years, told Jam Press. Meanwhile, maritime history expert Dr. Harry Bennett dubbed the recovery the 'underwater archaeological equivalent of a needle in a haystack,' the BBC reported. 'I think the local dive team are to be congratulated on a splendid piece of detective work which reveals this maritime disaster,' said the professor, who teaches at the University of Plymouth. 5 Footage of the sunken vessel, which had been lost to history for 140 years. Jam Press Built in 1874, the SS Nantes was a cargo ship operated by the Cunard Steamship Company. The 14-year-old vessel was traveling from Liverpool, UK, to Le Havre, France, with a load of coal in tow when it was struck by the German sailing vessel Theodor Ruger, which tore a 'big hole in its side,' Bennett recounted to CNN. 'For several hours, the crew tried to save their ship using all manner of materials to try and fill the hole, including mattresses,' he recalled. 'But eventually they lose that fight and the ship goes down very rapidly.' 5 The SS Nantes (pictured) had collided with a German sailing vessel. Jam Press/Rick Ayrton Bennett said that the SS Nantes 'drifted for several hours, before it finally made its way to the bottom, sadly, with many of its crewmen on board.' Their escape efforts were reportedly hindered by the fact that the lifeboats were damaged in the collision. 'There were some 23-odd fatalities,' Bennett told BBC. 'There were three survivors.' 5 Divers at the wreck of the SS Nantes, which was identified in part by the shard of a plate that bore the emblem of the Cunard Steamship Company. Jam Press/Rick Ayrton Meanwhile, corpses from the wreckage washed ashore in Cornwall, where locals were confronted by the horrific sight of bodies intermingled with pieces of the SS Nantes. Unfortunately, after plunging to the bottom of the ocean, the ship was 'essentially lost' as it was a time period with 'no satellite navigation,' per Dr. Bennett. 5 The plate with the stamp of the Cunard Steamship Company. Jam Press/Rick Ayrton It wasn't until 2024 that the local dive team identified the sunken vessel. Johnson had caught wind of the unidentified wreck from the UK Hydrographic Office and decided to investigate himself. Toward the end of a mostly fruitless dive, the wreck-plorer saw the broken plate, which provided a major clue as to the vessel's identity. 'I decided to bring it up to the surface [and] we found that [it] had the Cunard Steamship crest on it,' recalled Jonhson. 'It was then bingo, we've found it.' Researchers also identified the sunken ship by the build, technology on board, and dimensions of the vessel — which measured around 240 feet long. After examining the crews' footage and methodology, Dr. Bennett declared that 'beyond any reasonable shadow of a doubt, this is the SS Nantes.' While the sinking of the SS Nantes was an awful tragedy, Robinson hopes that the discovery at least provides a bit of closure to the heartwrenching saga. 'One of the things I like to think is by solving mysteries and telling those stories, I'm ensuring that those people aren't forgotten,' he said.

See Gizmo fly! Second Big Bear eaglet has flown the nest
See Gizmo fly! Second Big Bear eaglet has flown the nest

Yahoo

time8 hours ago

  • Yahoo

See Gizmo fly! Second Big Bear eaglet has flown the nest

See Gizmo fly! The Big Bear eaglet "fledged," which means it flew out of the nest, on Saturday at the age of 13 weeks old. Gizmo is the second eaglet to fly out of the family nest this year, wowing fans of the live webcam that monitors the Big Bear family of eagles that includes mom Jackie, dad Shadow and sibling Sunny. "As this is an extremely sensitive time for Jackie and Shadow and their fledglings, their habitat remains closed by federal order. For their safety, please do not go into or around the habitat," according to a post from Friends of Big Bear Valley. The U.S. Forest Service and the California Fish and Wildlife agencies are monitoring the area in order to keep the eagles and their habitat protected. Sunny fledged last week at the age of 13 weeks old. Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that operates the 24-hour nest cam that is 145 feet up a Jeffrey pine tree, overlooking Big Bear Lake, uses tree names to avoid disclosing information about nest locations and has asked people not to share or solicit information about the habitat's location. The developments of the two young eaglets have been followed closely by wildlife enthusiasts especially after Jackie and Shadow laid three eggs last year that didn't hatch amid a brutal winter storm that covered the nest with snow. Read more: Big Bear eaglet 'hovers' for the first time but still hasn't flown or fledged. What's the difference? Fans of the eagles watched with anticipation last month when Sunny "hovered' over the nest for the first time. The eaglet then flew last week from the nest. Jackie and Shadow will be following the eaglets around, protecting them and helping them find food for a few weeks to a few months, said Sandy Steers, executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that operates the 24-hour nest cam. Eagles don't reach sexual maturity until they're around 4 or 5 years old. The first year of life can be dangerous for an eagle. A juvenile bald eagle has less than a 50% chance of surviving because of its inexperience, according to the American Eagle Foundation. If they survive, they can live 15 to 30 years in the wild. Eaglets usually fledge at 10 to 14 weeks of age. Gizmo is the fifth eaglet from Jackie and Shadow who has fledged. Four have fledged since the camera was installed, according to Steers, which she said is par for the course. The webcam was installed in 2015 and recorded its first nesting season in 2017. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

See Gizmo fly! Second Big Bear eaglet has flown the nest
See Gizmo fly! Second Big Bear eaglet has flown the nest

Los Angeles Times

time9 hours ago

  • Los Angeles Times

See Gizmo fly! Second Big Bear eaglet has flown the nest

See Gizmo fly! The Big Bear eaglet 'fledged,' which means it flew out of the nest, on Saturday at the age of 13 weeks old. Gizmo is the second eaglet to fly out of the family nest this year, wowing fans of the live webcam that monitors the Big Bear family of eagles that includes mom Jackie, dad Shadow and sibling Sunny. 'As this is an extremely sensitive time for Jackie and Shadow and their fledglings, their habitat remains closed by federal order. For their safety, please do not go into or around the habitat,' according to a post from Friends of Big Bear Valley. The U.S. Forest Service and the California Fish and Wildlife agencies are monitoring the area in order to keep the eagles and their habitat protected. Sunny fledged last week at the age of 13 weeks old. Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that operates the 24-hour nest cam that is 145 feet up a Jeffrey pine tree, overlooking Big Bear Lake, uses tree names to avoid disclosing information about nest locations and has asked people not to share or solicit information about the habitat's location. The developments of the two young eaglets have been followed closely by wildlife enthusiasts especially after Jackie and Shadow laid three eggs last year that didn't hatch amid a brutal winter storm that covered the nest with snow. Fans of the eagles watched with anticipation last month when Sunny 'hovered' over the nest for the first time. The eaglet then flew last week from the nest. Jackie and Shadow will be following the eaglets around, protecting them and helping them find food for a few weeks to a few months, said Sandy Steers, executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that operates the 24-hour nest cam. Eagles don't reach sexual maturity until they're around 4 or 5 years old. The first year of life can be dangerous for an eagle. A juvenile bald eagle has less than a 50% chance of surviving because of its inexperience, according to the American Eagle Foundation. If they survive, they can live 15 to 30 years in the wild. Eaglets usually fledge at 10 to 14 weeks of age. Gizmo is the fifth eaglet from Jackie and Shadow who has fledged. Four have fledged since the camera was installed, according to Steers, which she said is par for the course. The webcam was installed in 2015 and recorded its first nesting season in 2017.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store