Dog lost for weeks found along Lake Roosevelt

A lost dog named Wilson was found alive and well along Lake Roosevelt on Aug. 25, reuniting him with his owners after he'd been missing for two weeks.

Cheri and Casey Groves lost Wilson Aug. 10 from their summer home in the Spring Canyon Road area during a storm.

Cheri Groves said she had gone outside for a quick moment and Wilson was by her side. When she went back inside, he wasn't by her side, and must have run off scared by the thunder.

The almost 5-year-old golden retriever must have had an incredible journey. He was found by Sean Holland and Malisha Small, who live in Pasco and were out fishing in their boat on Lake Roosevelt, only a short distance uplake from the Spring Canyon beach, not far from the Groves' home. The couple rescued Wilson and determined he must have fallen between some steep rocks along the shore and had been stuck there for a few days. The couple then got the lost pet info from Lincoln County police, and the Groves' phone number from Facebook.

"We are grateful for every prayer," Casey Groves wrote in a Facebook post the next day. "There are real live Angels, Gina with Lincoln county police, all the businesses, neighbors, dear friends that poured their heart into sharing and caring. Thank you from our families heart for sharing yours and caring so much for Wilson. He had a wonderful first night."

An Aug. 12 post on The Star's Facebook page about the lost dog received an unprecedented 341 shares, and posters about the lost dog have been placed around the community.

Cheri Groves was driving near Cle Elum on her way back to her home in Western Washington when she received a call the day Wilson was found.

"I went hysterical and was just screaming and crying and couldn't calm down or believe it," she told The Star. "I couldn't get to him quick enough."

The feeling was mutual, as she was reunited with Wilson in Ephrata to where the Smalls drove him to meet her.

"He was crying and then he came and sat right on my lap," Groves said, adding that Wilson being found "was a miracle in itself," and also thanking St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost things.

Aug. 25 is also the birthday of Groves' mother, who passed away several years ago, and Aug. 26 is National Dog Day, making the timing extra special.

Locals are celebrating Wilsons return, with Cafe Espresso in Grand Coulee creating a drink called the "puppy chow frappe" in honor of "this sweet pup coming home!" the company's Facebook page says.