Gabe Perry of Helena holds Mojo in this photo taken earlier this year during a camping trip to Colo-rado. Photo courtesy of Gabe Perry Mojo, a 5-year-old toy fox terrier, survived 10 days after getting lost in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest near Wisdom last month. The two were reunited Tuesday after the little dog was found near the Big Hole National Battlefield.

By John Grant Emeigh Montana Standard | Posted: Wednesday, September 2, 2009 10:55 pm

WISDOM - Surviving for 10 days lost in the wilderness is no small feat for anyone.

But when you weigh only 15 pounds and are near the bottom of the food chain in habitat full of large predators, surviving that long is next to miraculous.

Mojo, a 5-year-old toy fox terrier from Helena, was able to survive for 10 days and nine nights in one of the most remote areas of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest near Wisdom. On Tuesday, the dog's grateful owner, Gabe Perry, got the call that Mojo had been found safe just as he started losing hope the small dog would make it out alive.

"We're just amazed he could make it for so long in that backcountry," Perry told the Montana Standard after he drove out to the Big Hole National Battlefield to be reunited with his best friend.

Perry and Mojo went camping last month with a friend at Ruby Creek about 10 miles from Highway 43 near Wisdom. Perry and his friend were fishing near the campsite on Aug. 22 when Mojo went missing. He searched the woods for three days with no sign of the little dog. Perry said this was unusual, because Mojo always stays close to him.

"We figured a coyote or mountain lion must have gotten to him while we were out fishing," he said.

Before leaving, Perry reported his dog missing to park officials. Within days, ranchers and people in the area reported seeing a little black-and-white dog along back roads dodging in and out of the forest. With every sighting, Perry would drive back from Helena to the area where Mojo was seen. But the dog still remained lost.

Perry, who runs a gas station and casino in Helena, made four unsuccessful trips.

"It was a real roller-coaster ride," he admitted. "Just as I was losing hope, someone would report seeing him."

Perry said it was very difficult to explain to his three young children that Mojo might never return home.

On Tuesday morning, Perry received good news: Someone was actually able to catch a dog matching Mojo's description.

Steve Black, superintendent of the Big Hole National Battlefield, said he received a call that morning from his wife, Rhonda, saying she'd found a small black-and-white dog. Black said he immediately thought it could be the dog reported missing by a camper a week earlier.

Black said he suspected the dog was probably hanging around his home at the national park earlier that morning.

"My dogs were barking up a storm, so I thought there was a coyote in the area," he said.

His wife, with help from a 9-year-old girl who lives next door, was able to corral the small dog and bring it in the house. That morning, Black called Perry, who drove in from Helena and was reunited with Mojo. The dog was found about 15 miles from where he was last seen at the campsite.

"We were all surprised that he survived that long," Black said.

The wilderness is home to coyotes, wolves, bears and other predators that would have easily made a quick meal of Mojo, according to Black. Perry said his dog looked healthy - maybe lost a pound or two - but didn't have a scratch on him.

Black suspects Mojo was able to hide in hollowed-out trees or in rock crevices at night and subsisted by eating insects.

Perry said he often takes his dog camping in the great outdoors, but he was still surprised how well Mojo appeared to handle this situation.

"He's acting like nothing ever happened," he said.

Reporter John Grant Emeigh can be reached at (406) 496-5511 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

By SAMANTHA BOMKAMP Associated Press

Pet Airways co-founder Alysa Binder holds her dog, Zoe, in Omaha, Neb., recently. On the first-ever all-pet airline started by Binder and her husband, Dan Wiesel, dogs and cats fly in the main cabin of the plane, retooled and lined with carriers in place of seats. Photo by Dave Weaver/Associated Press

NEW YORK - One trip for their Jack Russell terrier in a plane's cargo hold was enough to convince Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel that owners needed a better option to get their pets from one city to another.

Last week, the first flight for the husband-and-wife team's Pet Airways, the first-ever all-pet airline, took off from Republic Airport in Farmingdale, N.Y.

All commercial airlines allow a limited number of small pets to fly in the cabin. Others must travel as checked bags or in the cargo hold - a dark and sometimes dangerous place where temperatures can vary wildly.
Binder and Wiesel used their consulting backgrounds and business savvy to start Pet Airways in 2005. The last four years have been spent designing their fleet of five planes according to new four-legged requirements, dealing with FAA regulations and setting up airport schedules.

The two say they're overwhelmed with the response. Flights on Pet Airways are already booked up for the next two months.

Pet Airways will fly a pet between five major cities - New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles. The $250 one-way fare is comparable to pet fees at the largest U.S. airlines.

For owners, the big difference is service. Dogs and cats will fly in the main cabin of a Suburban Air Freight plane, retooled and lined with carriers in place of seats. Pets (about 50 on each flight) will be escorted to the plane by attendants that will check on the animals every 15 minutes during flight. The pets are also given preboarding walks and bathroom breaks. And at each of the five airports it serves, the company has created a “Pet Lounge” for future fliers to wait and sniff before flights.

The company will operate out of smaller, regional airports in the five launch cities, which will mean an extra trip for most owners dropping off their pets if they are flying, too. Stops in cities along the way means the pets will take longer to reach a destination than their owners.

A trip from New York to Los Angeles, for example, will take about 24 hours. On that route, pets will stop in Chicago, have a bathroom break, play time, dinner and bunk for the night before finishing the trip the next day.

Amanda Hickey of Portland, Ore. is one of the new airline's first customers. Her seven-year-old terrier-pinscher mix Mardi and 2-year-old puggle Penny are taking their first flight soon.

Hickey said the service was a welcome alternative to flying her dogs in cargo when she transplants them from her soon-to-be Denver home to Chicago to stay while she and her fiance travel to Aruba to get married.

“For a little bit more money, I have peace of mind,” she said.

It was a stressful experience in a cargo hold that spurred Binder and Wiesel to start their airline. Their Jack Russell terrier, Zoe, flew once in cargo and Binder said they worried about how the dog was doing, but were unable to check on her or get information. The couple soon started looking for a better solution.

The company, which will begin with one flight in each of its five cities, is looking to add more flights and cities soon. In the next three years, Binder hopes to fly to 25 locations.

Among the big U.S. carriers that offer pet services, AirTran, Spirit, Southwest and JetBlue only allow pets to fly in the cabin. Most U.S. airlines charge between $100 and $125, but Delta and Northwest charge $150 for cabin trips. AirTran is the cheapest among big carriers at $69.

The charge is more to fly in the cargo or check-baggage holds. Delta and Northwest are the most expensive at $275. Alaska Airlines and Midwest charge the least, at $100. Frontier prices its checked pets fees between $100 and $200 and only takes pets as checked baggage.

Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com, questions the viability of an airline with such a specific niche.

“I'm not sure how sustainable it is,” she said. “But if people are trying to go for a first-class service, it could make sense.”

She said the service's popularity could spike in peak summer or winter months when airlines in some areas don't allow pets to travel.

Betsy Saul, co-founder of Petfinder.com, which has ranked the pet-friendliness of airlines for three years, said she's excited about the expected impact Pet Airways will have on pet travel across major airlines.

“The entire industry will stretch because of Pet Airways,” she said. “It's a challenge that says 'let's make this (experience) better for pets.“'