What a remarkable dog to have survived on her own for so long.

And lucky not to have been hurt digging her way into that basement space that trapped her. I wonder why a tranquilizer dart was not an option?

That story made me sad. The news voice over keeps asking why the dog ran away, but I couldn't help but think that she just needed to run free for a while? It's pretty understandable. I mean, she is an animal, and one treated poorly by humans in the past on top of that.

Good point, taz; why didn't they shoot her with a dart? Or drug her food?

Great to see. (This is near where I live). Just because it's an animal doesn't mean it needs to run free, the history of abuse was more of a factor would be my guess. Dogs are pack animals that need to feel safe in their den/pack. It's a more complex social structure than many give credit to. My two previous Aussies (talk about a breed that likes to run free!!!) wouldn't leave the back yard when the gate blew open on a couple of occasions. I had two times that my front door opened when I was at work, the first time they didn't leave the house, the second time they just stayed on my lot waiting for me to get home from work. Sounds like Ariel still had a lot of insecurities from it's previous life.