VICTORIA -- A lost three-month-old puppy was reunited with its owner after going missing in the Goldstream Park area for more than 48 hours.
Ruth, the missing Catahoula Leopard puppy, was found on Friday night after going missing Wednesday afternoon while on a walk.
According to volunteer animal search group ROAM, the dog was found after volunteers and its owner, Bronte McMaster, set up scent trails and traps along the park's trails where Ruth was familiar with walking.
Around 6:30 p.m. Friday, volunteers placed their traps and four remote cameras along trails, while McMaster cooked bacon and chicken in a nearby parking lot, hoping to attract the puppy with the food's smell.
Small amounts of food were also placed on trails leading to the parking lot where volunteers and McMaster remained in their cars so as to not spook the young animal, which ROAM says can happen with young dogs.
Just after 9 p.m., one of the remote cameras detected movement and ROAM volunteers noticed a small dog eating bits of food that had been laid out.
McMaster exited her car and stood in the parking lot near the source of the cooked food, gently calling for Ruth, according to ROAM. The puppy soon arrived but did not seem to immediately recognize her.
"Ruth circled her for a good three minutes, then simply 'snapped out of it' and promptly jumped full force on Bronte's face," reads a social media update from ROAM.
The pair were reunited after more than 55 hours of Ruth being in the bush, according to ROAM.
The organization is thanking everyone who volunteered to search and keep a look out for Ruth, noting that "spotters" are just as important as searchers, as too many searchers can spook dogs and make it more difficult to track them.
"We never lost hope in finding Ruth," said ROAM in an update Saturday. "We believed she was a spunky little girl and would soon come in. It just took a few days."
