Missing

Lessie went missing on the Gunflint Trail near The Gunflint Lodge on 6/28/24. Her family was in a serious accident and she bolted from the vehicle. She is very scared and her owners are hospitalized. If you see her please be calm and gentle. Get low, toss out treats and look to the side, let her come to you. If she shows fear just walk away and call or text the number. Let’s get this girl safe so her family can heal

Beautiful girl; hoping she finds her way home.

Unfortunate. I hope the dog is found and it's owners get well. Excellent, I see someone contacted the Retrievers.

Edit. I would also contact any outfitters in the area as well as the USFS. And maybe police/first responders and the local radio stations as well.

Maybe she’ll show up at the gunflint lodge. It’s Sunday so they are probably smoking some meat

airmorse: "Unfortunate. I hope the dog is found and it's owners get well. Excellent, I see someone contacted the Retrievers.

Edit. I would also contact any outfitters in the area as well as the USFS. And maybe police/first responders and the local radio stations as well."

One of the great benefits of working with this group, The Retrievers, is they have a ton of experience and well honed skills at organizing such searches. I'd bet my canoe they quickly contacted the Sheriff, GTVFD, and WTIP, and that signs and posters were going up quickly. They also have studied the science of catching lost dogs. Instinctively many of us want to call their name and walk toward them, but they can quickly go into survival mode and avoid you as if it were a wolf. Best bet is to use the scent from their humans, avoid eye contact, act submissive and non-threating, and patiently let the dog come to you. Acting like you are eating or actually eating will help, and food can do a lot to get them to you. I got some training from The Retrievers and have helped on 3 or 4 dog searches. I remember cut up pieces of hot dogs soaked in liquid smoke was the golden candy to get them to come to you.

Fingers crossed for a quick and safe recovery of this poor girl. Dogs are amazingly good survivors, even in the wild. I'm optimistic, given the location of where she went missing.

Pinetree: " Missing


If she shows fear just walk away and call or text the number."

Pinetree, what number could we call or text?

OneMatch: "

Pinetree: " Missing

If she shows fear just walk away and call or text the number."

Pinetree, what number could we call or text?"

218-940-7615.

Please report any sightings right away. And if you do not have cell coverage, please stop and tell one of the lodges/outfitters who may be able to report it faster.

Thanks for volunteering. All dogs deserve the chance to be found.

Hospitalized and your dog is missing? That's a bad day. Hoping for the best, GSD are hardcore.

Any news on this?

Mocha: "Any news on this?"

Awful quiet, if had stayed close to roads there isn't a lot of places to go without being seen.

:(

Sharon MatuseviciusGunflint Trail Nature and Notes July 5


I am beyond grateful for all that everyone is doing to help Leesie find her way home. I am back on Seagull, feeling stronger every day. This morning, I put her feeding station out on the deck. I talk to her whenever I am out there. I am not supposed to venture away from the cabin alone and carry my phone in my pocket...just in case. I am missing my daily walks with her.
Alex is still in the ICU at St. Mary's in Duluth. The light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to glow a little. He learned a sad lesson from his unfortunate accident.
Please continue prayers to God and St. Francis for my precious family members.

This is such a heartbreaking story in multiple ways, but please stay positive about Lessie. It has been 7 days since the accident. Dogs are amazing survivors and sometimes need a little time before they are willing to be found.

I think it was just a year ago that Luigi was lost near Kawascheshong and was found over 20 miles away as the crow flies near the Gunflint trail 23 or so days later.

The little 20 lbs black and white mop of a dog I went looking for three years ago managed to run from Muskeg to Cherokee, some 4.5 miles as the crow flies but perhaps 15-20 miles along the shoreline before being found 11 days later and returned to her family.

And to heart I recall a story about 10 years ago in Yellowstone NP where there was also a bad traffic accident and a dog escaped as EMS tried to help the family. The dog was found some 2-3 weeks later sitting by the family’s wrecked car that was towed several miles away and parked behind a park gas station. Thanks to the scent.

Way too early to give up hope!!! As for not being seen, in my experience the vast majority of people never see animals are because they are not looking carefully or because the animals do not want to be seen. Mostly the animals that are seen are the animals that do not care if they or seen or not.

Stay positive. 218-940-7615

Keep sharing….

july 10th:
Gunflint Trail Nature and Notes
Sharon Matusevicius · 1h ·
To my Gunflint Trail friends and family, I am sharing a quick update, since I have received so much support the past two weeks. I am recovering from my medical event and emergency surgery that led to Alex's unfortunate decision to drive our car. He is out of the ICU and we are arranging his rehab. He looks forward to his return to the cabin. Leesie continues on her walk-about through the forest, no sightings for a week now. What a story she could share! Please continue your thoughts and prayers for my little family unit. They are helpful.

July 19th-they believe they seen the dog up the Gunflint:
Sighting! 7/17/24 at the Eastern most campsite on Ham Lake. Please, if you’re in the area keep an eye out for her. Try to offer her food while staying low to the ground and avoiding eye contact. Her family misses her.t




dog observed

That's awesome!!! Hopefully soon we will have a happy reunion.

July 24th-being illusive but still around
Sharon Matusevicius
Top contributor
Yes, she is still on her walk-about. She's been spotted a few times but travels over a distance, staying mostly in the vicinity of Gunflint and Ham lake. She's been as close to home as north of Magnetic Rock lot, but no closer that we've seen...very sad situation. We may need to go home without her, depending on my husband's progress in his recovery.

So now that you have a location are the Retrievers going to set up a live trap?

Any updates?

AS of August 3rd no new developments. I think they have no new follow up hopes.

she was last seen at a campsite on Ham lake, last week on Tuesday. She ran from the spotters and hasn't been seen again.

so if she is hanging out in that area then she is relatively close to Tuscarora outfitters as well as gunflint lodge and borderland lodge on the west end of gunflint lake. if she prowls at night she will be able to keep herself fed.

baiting for bear starts mid-august, so she will probably find those sites, too. then small game opens mid-september. there will be more people in the woods that could possible spot her.

hopefully she finds her humans before winter.

We are camping on ham Lake and just saw the dog last night. We are on the second to last campsite to the east.

CanoeViking: "We are camping on ham Lake and just saw the dog last night. We are on the second to last campsite to the east. "

That’s great news. Were you able to text the phone number with any more details?

218-940-7615

awesome,wonder why nobody can approach him? He must be getting food there from campers?

I hope this dog can be reunited with its owners soon.

Jaywalker: "

CanoeViking: "We are camping on ham Lake and just saw the dog last night. We are on the second to last campsite to the east. "

That’s great news. Were you able to text the phone number with any more details?


218-940-7615"

Please give update if you can,many people wondering and hoping.

CanoeViking: "We are camping on ham Lake and just saw the dog last night. We are on the second to last campsite to the east. "

By chance were you paddling today- 2 dads (I'm guessing) and 2 daughters? We passed you on our way out with a useless 3rd passenger - our yellow lab. The girls looked like they were enjoying themselves.

Pinetree: "

Jaywalker: "

CanoeViking: "We are camping on ham Lake and just saw the dog last night. We are on the second to last campsite to the east. "

That’s great news. Were you able to text the phone number with any more details?



218-940-7615"

Please give update if you can,many people wondering and hoping."

I was able to reach out to the owner and haven’t heard what’s happened next But the dog seemed to be doing well just skittish. One of our team saw it right before they went to bed at our campsite. I also told Tuscarora Outfitters as well.

4keys: "

CanoeViking: "We are camping on ham Lake and just saw the dog last night. We are on the second to last campsite to the east. "

By chance were you paddling today- 2 dads (I'm guessing) and 2 daughters? We passed you on our way out with a useless 3rd passenger - our yellow lab. The girls looked like they were enjoying themselves.
"

I did head out yesterday, but that wasn’t me. I was the dad with three kids and mom. I was wearing a bright colored shirt.

CanoeViking: "

Pinetree: "

Jaywalker: "

CanoeViking: "We are camping on ham Lake and just saw the dog last night. We are on the second to last campsite to the east. "

That’s great news. Were you able to text the phone number with any more details?



218-940-7615"

Please give update if you can,many people wondering and hoping."

I was able to reach out to the owner and haven’t heard what’s happened next But the dog seemed to be doing well just skittish. One of our team saw it right before they went to bed at our campsite. I also told Tuscarora Outfitters as well."

Thanks for the update. That dog must really be spooked not to get close to anyone all this time. She must be getting food from campers and still looking good.

Thanks for reaching out to the owners.

Really pulling for this dog to make it home, breaks my heart reading this.

Same here, I've got a shepherd, looks just like this one. She would never come to a stranger off her home property, very skittish. Might be able to throw her some food but as far as getting a hold of her, that's not going to happen. Hopefully this dog gets home safe.

Lessie is Found! Here is the story

Lessie is Found

That's awesome.

HangLoose: "Lessie is Found! Here is the story


Lessie is Found
"

Holy crap this makes me feel so good inside! Been following this since day 1.

Well, done Jaywalker!

CanoeViking: "Well, done Jaywalker!"

Well done indeed. This is amazing news and so exciting.

This quote from the story is spot on….
He was calm, he was patient and he was kind.

Awesome news! Shared with my wife...she cried...

Such a relief for all.

Glad that she was found safe. What an adventure she must have been through.

This is outstanding!

I'm so happy to read this

There was this update on FOX 9 news out of mpls on sunday night news. pretty cool. Jaywalker was only on film but not named, there was an interview with the organization that was assisting in the search.

Mocha: "There was this update on FOX 9 news out of mpls on sunday night news. pretty cool. Jaywalker was only on film but not named, there was an interview with the organization that was assisting in the search."

That's how I wanted it. The dog was the story and The Retrievers was the story - they did a huge amount work behind the scenes, as they so often do. I was happy to share photos and video.