Labrador pet miraculously survives 24 days trapped in a pile of logs

A Queenstown family is in “total shock and utter disbelief” after finding their beloved black Lab alive after he disappeared 24 days earlier.

Ashley Stewart said she and her partner Regan Williamson were preparing to explain to their young children that Roxy was gone forever when they miraculously found her on a neighboring property on Saturday.

“They were grinding some logs on the property and had just sat down to rest when our neighbor saw something out of the corner of his eye,” Stewart said.

The neighbor knew that Roxy was missing and was shocked to get closer and realize that she was still alive, albeit trapped between the 20-foot-long pile of logs.

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Stewart and Williamson were heading to Cromwell in a caravan when the news came.

“We were in complete and total shock,” Stewart said.

Noted vet vet Rachel Burt said it was an “absolutely amazing survival story.”

He was not aware of any other case in which a dog had been lost, presumably trapped, for so long and survived.

Roxy, who is almost 10 years old, was in “unbelievably good condition.”

“It’s surprising given that it was probably stuck for those 24 days,” Burt said.

Without water, Roxy would not have survived. It seems that she created a small pit trying to dig herself and there was considerable rain during the time she was missing.

Roxy ate grass and may have also caught and eaten the rabbit believed to have chased in the log pile, Burt said.

“I’m probably lucky I did it with a little extra weight. Typical Labrador “.

Stewart said that Roxy had been with the family for about six years. They inherited it from a close friend Brian Stone, after he died of cancer.

She became the “best friend” of Braxden, 4, and Hesten, 19 months.

“As the weeks went by, we did our best to be optimistic, but last week we started to be more realistic.”

It was unusual for Roxy to disappear from the family property in Gibbston, although she was known to chase rabbits.

The family wondered if someone had taken her.

After a few days, they got involved on social media and were surprised that hundreds of people were involved in the search, including a group of about 50 who conducted an organized search in Arrowtown and many more people who reported black labs sightings.

“Nothing added. There was no point in not coming home. We felt powerless, ”Stewart said.

The finding of the “miracle” could be related to the late owner of Roxy, he said.

“I’d like to think Brian was taking care of her.”