Yellowstone National Park rangers are hoping to capture a tourist’s pet dog that has been loose in the wilderness since last Thursday.
“We lost our dog ‘Delta’ at the Artist Paintpots at 12:45 p.m.,” Mike Mastis, owner of the 70-pound female goldendoodle, posted on a Yellowstone-themed Facebook page late Saturday. “We have not seen her for three days and we are devastated. Please look for her when you are in the park.”
As of late Sunday, despite efforts to locate and catch Delta, she was still at bay, presumably across a river, and probably frightened.
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“She’s still alive and unharmed,” Mastis stated in a new post Sunday night. “She has been seen alive everyday in the same area. The rangers are trying to trap her. She is only gonna come to food so people yelling her name and chasing her is not working.”
As of the time of this post, Yellowstone National Park had not responded to a request for a statement.
Dogs are not allowed off-leash inside the park. They’re allowed only in developed areas and must be physically controlled – on a leash, inside a car or a crate – at all times.
They’re not allowed on hiking trails, boardwalks, or in the backcountry.
Off-leash they’re a potential threat to wildlife and, likewise, could fall prey to large predators such as wolves, coyotes, cougars, or grizzly bears.
Artists Paintpots is a thermal-feature destination south of the park’s Norris Geyser Basin.
–Image showing Delta the goldendoodle is courtesy of Mike Mastis
