Blind Older dog Found in Alaska Three Weeks After Wandering Off

By: Leo Zou

The Kubackis, an Alaskan family, had given up hope of locating their blind and elderly golden retriever named Lulu, who strayed from their home three weeks ago. But then a construction crew found her in a salmonberry bush, after assuming it was a bear. Lulu was in very poor condition after being found on Tuesday but is slowly recovering with her family, the Daily Sitka Sentinel reported.

"She means everything. I have five daughters, and they're 4 to 13 years old, so they've spent every day of their life with that dog," said Ted Kubacki, the dog owner, according to NBC News. "She's just so helpless, and you kind of imagined that she can't get real far because she can't see." The Kubackis searched for weeks after Lulu wandered off on June 18.

It made it even worse when someone claimed they found Lulu a few days into the search, as a terrible joke. "We put the kids to bed and got a text saying, 'We found your dog,' or 'I have your dog,' and we're like, 'Oh my god, this is incredible.' Then the person texted me, 'Just kidding.' This happened, yeah, that was all part of this terrible story," he says.

After three weeks, the family had lost all hope. Until a construction crew saw her lying in the underbrush alongside the road near the Kubakis' home. All the sadness evaporated when they got a call that their dog had been found.

Although alive, Lulu was in bad shape. The 80-pound dog had dropped 23 pounds during the time she was lost, she was dehydrated, dirty, and her fur was matted. Fortunately, Lulu's condition has significantly improved with medical care, food and rest.

"Slowly but surely she started eating and she was kind of able to pick her head up," Ted Kubacki said. "But then yesterday, she propped herself up on her front paws by herself, like nestled into me and gave me a kiss and wagged her tail and it was just so great."

The next day, she could stand without any help, according to NBC News. Kubacki, a grocery store employee and the sole provider for his family of seven, then became concerned about the veterinarian's bill.

Those fears were relinquished as Sitka residents donated hundreds of dollars to cover Lulu's recuperation bills.

"We have our family member home," Kubacki said.

Source: NBC News