Leon, an Iditarod sled dog belonging to french musher, Sebastien Dos Santos Borges, that slipped from his coat and collar and ran away from a race checkpoint in March, has been found alive nearly three months later and 150 miles from where he escaped.
Leon is a 3-year-old husky with yellow-gold fur, brown eyes and dark brown ears.
He slipped out of his coat and collar around noon March 13 at checkpoint in Ruby, according to race representatives.
A McGrath resident was able to catch Leon, Iditarod officials said.
The dog has since been reunited with Dos Santos Borges, who flew to Anchorage this week after receiving updates on the search.
Leon was safe, alert and “understandably skinny but seemingly healthy,” Iditarod spokesperson Shannon Markley said.
As the search for Leon continued in the weeks following the race, Iditarod officials in early April said they were “actively working on updating the Standard Operating Procedures to prevent this from happening in the future and instilling a stronger sense of shared responsibility.”
Race officials did not respond to questions at the time about what those updated procedures might look like.
The search for Leon involved extensive efforts, including Air Force helicopter flyovers, snowmachine trips and fundraising by Iditarod fans and volunteers, as well as help from local communities and Alaska musher Nicolas Petit.
