A sled dog that went missing during the 938-mile race across Alaska has been found three months later.
Leon disappeared from a checkpoint nearly 150 miles into The Iditarod in March, and efforts by organizers to track him down were fruitless.
Photos have been released on the race’s blog in an attempt to locate him, and people are encouraged to contact information about his whereabouts.
The resident of the Alaskan city of McGrath, more than 120 miles south of the checkpoint where Leon hid, finally reported seeing the dog last month and attempted to capture it by leaving the food out. .
The Iditarod Trails Commission said he was finally arrested Saturday morning, and will be picked up by French soldier Sebastien Dos Santos Borges (his sleigh driver) and returned to France.
Iditarod spokesman Shannon Markley said Leon is believed to be “thin but appears healthy” and will see a vet and get a health certificate before flying back to France.
What is The Iditarod?
The Iditarod is a race nearly 1,000 miles long and takes place every March, entirely within the US state of Alaska.
It begins just north of Anchorage and ends at Nome, taking the hounds and their dogs through the unforgiving wilderness, across frozen rivers and sea ice on the west coast. , and along two mountain ranges.
Since it began in 1973, the record completion time has been seven days, 14 hours, eight minutes and 57 seconds, set by coach Dallas Seavey last year.
The 2022 race belongs to Brent Sass, who finished in 8 days, 14 hours, 38 minutes and 43 seconds.
Mr. Dos Santos Borges was riding with dozens of dogs when Leon went missing after arriving at the Ruby checkpoint on March 12. He was forced to depart with 11 days later.
