Sunday 5 June 2022 05:58 PM Call of the wild: Sled dog called Leon is found after THREE MONTHS later and ... trends now
An Iditarod sled dog that escaped during this year's race in Alaska has been found alive and healthy three months later after covering 150 miles.
The dog, called Leon, was a a part of French musher Sebastien Dos Santos Borges' team, and got loose while the team was camped out at a checkpoint in the town of Ruby - roughly the halfway point of the 1,000 mile course.
Locals in the town of McGrath, a city about 150 miles south, began spotting the hound hanging around in May.
Leon was eventually captured and appeared to be in perfect health despite the brutal conditions.
Dos Santos Borges returned to Alaska to reunite with Leon, and the pair are due to return to France once the dog receives his medical certifications to fly.
Musher Sebastien Dos Santos Borges planting a kiss on Leon when they were reunited on Saturday
Leon and Sebastien Dos Santos Borges reunited in Alaska on Saturday. Leon survived alone in the Alaskan wilderness for three months this spring
This year's Iditarod sled dog race began on March 6 just north of Anchorage, Alaska.
Dos Santos Borges, Leon, and the rest of the 12-dog team, were camped out at a checkpoint in the town of Ruby, just under 500 miles into the race on March 12.
He had swapped out the race collar Leon was wearing for a looser collar, according to race officials, and the dog managed to slip out of the collar and escape.
The musher was forced to leave Leon behind as he carried on with the race. Severe weather would force him to scratch days later, just 22 miles from the finish line in Nome, Alaska.
