Stranded dog close to capture after 2+ weeks

By Meg McLeod and Elisse Ramey

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    CLARE COUNTY, Michigan (WNEM) — Nearly three weeks after being stranded on an island, Zaria appears to be on the verge of being rescued.

The two-year-old Great Dane ran off from her new owners and ended up in the middle of Clare County’s Cranberry Lake.

Animal control initially hoped to do a volunteer search on the island last week but called it off after making steady progress with her trust of the trap.

Animal control officer Bob Dodson said she has come a long way, “Zaria is making leaps and bounds right now,” he said. “She is basically coming out of the woods a lot more going to the trap. We almost thought we had her the other night, but a raccoon was in the trap and she kind of backed out a bit, so it kind of scared her a little bit.”

The food and water rescuers are leaving out is helping her gain much-needed weight.

Animal control believes the fly-to-honey method is gaining her trust and is ultimately safer than tranquilizing her.

“I’ve said before, she’s too skinny” Dodson said. “And, if we do tranq[quilize] her and she runs off, cause you know the drug doesn’t act right away, and she runs off and she gets groggy and ends up in the creek or in a waterbed, she’s gonna drowned. Or if she runs into the marshy areas and we don’t see her and she has an adverse reaction to the drug, it could kill her also.”

Zaria has since been surrendered to Clare County Animal Control.

Rescuers have cameras on her, so they will be alerted the moment she goes into the trap.

Animal control is working with Moore’s Lost K9 Search & Recovery.

If you’d like to make a food or financial donation to help with Zaria’s rescue, go to Moore’s Lost K9 Search & Recovery Facebook page.

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