Missing Catahoula Mix Survives “Miles” in Blizzard

For Caitlin Brennan of Walnut Creek, Calif., and her companion Miles, a 3-year-old Catahoula mix, Lake Tahoe is a second home. Caitlin’s family has owned a cabin there for decades and the duo later lived in the same neighborhood for a year after Caitlin graduated from college. Tahoe is now their favorite vacation spot and they frequently stay in the family cabin. However, their latest weekend getaway almost turned into Miles’ last after he went missing during a severe storm and spent three days lost in the forest. Miles’ terrifying journey and miraculous recovery have earned him the title of February’s “Most Unusual Claim of the Month” by Nationwide, the nation’s first and largest provider of pet health insurance.

Caitlin and her boyfriend Matt rescued Miles two years ago from a shelter near San Francisco and purchased a policy with Nationwide during the adoption process. Initially, Miles was nervous and preferred to be left alone, but he and the family quickly became inseparable.

“We definitely had to earn Miles’ trust,” said Caitlin. “Once he was comfortable with us, he became the most loving dog we’ve ever owned. He wants to be by our side wherever we are, whether we’re hiking in Tahoe or just hanging out at home. He’s a huge part of our family.”

During the lake trip, Caitlin, Matt, and a group of friends were staying at her family cabin with Miles and another dog named Murphy. Tahoe was experiencing sporadic bad weather on the first night and wind caused a tree to fall on a neighboring cabin. The next morning the group went to explore the damages and brought the dogs along for the walk.

“We wanted to make sure everyone was okay,” said Caitlin. “Miles knows the area like its his own backyard so I’ve never worried about him running off, but I lost track for one moment and he and Murphy disappeared. At first, we didn’t panic because we knew that Miles knew where the cabin was, but then it began to rain and we started to get anxious.”

After searching late into the night, Caitlin and the group were forced to call off the search. On day two, the friends divided into two groups with half continuing the search through the woods and the others putting up signs and contacting neighbors and local businesses.

“Tahoe is a tight community, and everyone is very supportive,” said Caitlin. “All of our neighbors were joining in on the search for Miles and Murphy, and the local businesses posted the dog’s pictures on their Facebook page. Everyone was determined to find them…even the ski resort was on patrol.”

With day two coming to an end and the search intensifying, a severe snow storm struck Tahoe and once again the group had to call off the search. With no sign of the pups after two days, Caitlin was beginning to lose hope.

On the third day, Caitlin and Matt expanded their search and hiked an area 15 miles away from the cabin. After an exhaustive effort, they found nothing and were nearly out of options, but then Caitlin’s phone rang. A neighbor had spotted the dogs from a distance and followed them to a cabin.

“When we got the call we rushed back as fast as we could,” said Caitlin. “We couldn’t believe my eyes when I returned. Miles and Murphy were sitting on the porch of our old house, right down the street from our cabin. Miles was so happy to see us. We hugged him tight and cried.”

After offering Miles food and water, Caitlin took him to the Burton Creek Veterinary Clinic in Tahoe to have him checked out. When Miles arrived, his paws were battered and his stature was thin. The veterinarians ran tests and determined he had colitis from eating something toxic and was malnourished from lack of food. After a short stay and medications for the road, Miles was sent home and could finally relax.

Since his return home, Miles has made a full recovery and is back to his old self. His incident hasn’t affected his passion for the outdoors and he still enjoys his trips to Lake Tahoe. Caitlin still can’t believe that Miles survived and is grateful for all the support she received throughout the experience.

“I’m just relieved that everything worked out,” said Caitlin. “I can’t imagine how hard it would have been to lose Miles. We’re lucky that we had such great support from the Tahoe community and from Nationwide. I knew that I could take Miles to get the medical attention he needed without having to worry about the cost, which made it much easier to just enjoy his return. With Nationwide we’re ready for anything!”