Missing dog found alive after spending a week in extreme cold

Edmonton, Canada - A 15-month-old Basset Hound named Gus got himself in a dangerous situation when he wandered away from home in the freezing cold. Amazingly, the dog was found alive a week later by a caring neighbor.

Gus survived a week in the extreme cold after breaking out of home and going missing.
Gus survived a week in the extreme cold after breaking out of home and going missing.  © Screenshot/Facebook/Tayzha Moniz

When Teresa Nisperos spotted her young dog Gus running out the front door, she did her best to catch him.

She ran after the dog despite heavy snow, and she didn't have shoes on. Unfortunately, the young pooch evaded her best efforts.

Nisperos hoped the severe cold would convince the dog to return home. After 12 hours, Gus hadn't come back, and she took to Facebook to ask her neighbors for help.

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She was distraught.

"Knowing that he's never been outside, and he's not used to seeing a lot of people or even other dogs, my heart just basically sank. And I'm like, 'Oh my God, the immediate thought was, is he gonna get hit? Is he gonna get stolen? What about the cold," Nisperos told CTV.

Nisperos, an immunocompromised cancer survivor, was worried sick but couldn't search for her dog in the extreme weather. Luckily, her Facebook post mobilized a whole neighborhood.

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Gus was deeply missed by his owners.
Gus was deeply missed by his owners.  © Screenshot/Facebook/Jun Nisperos

After a week out in the cold, a neighbor spotted Gus in a rural area. Nisperos and her husband were thrilled!

"Having everyone rally around and behind us finding Gus felt like we had our families from back home here in Canada," Nisperos, who's originally from the Philippines, told CTV.

The vet who examined Gus was surprised by his fairly good condition.

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Gus has some lesions on his nose and has lost 16 pounds from the cold.

Nisperos says he's working hard to gain back the weight, and she's thrilled to have Gus back home.

Cover photo: Screenshot/Facebook/Tayzha Moniz

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