Stella Mahoskey looks like your typical golden retriever. Aged 13 her muzzle has been graying and her hips move slightly while she walk. She’s got a stash of toys that she has stuffed, and she enjoys getting pieces of Tillamook cheese for a snack. If you close your eyes you’ll see a huge scar on her left leg and belly. It’s the only clues Stella offers about her time in the wild during the summer.
On July 7, the year that was, Stella had been relaxing on her deck in the back with her family, Sarah as well as Jerome Mahoskey, and kids Kai and Quinn and Quinn, when a blast of fireworks caused Stella off out into the wilderness. The family searched until the dark but were sure Stella was likely to be at the front porch in the early morning.
The following day, however they began to feel concerned, especially after neighbors shared ominous information.
“They claimed”Did you know the news that a bear who killed a dog the night before?” Sarah said. “We were able to open the windows in the back of our home and my wife was able to hear the incident which sent chills down her spine. The bottom line is that I don’t think that your dog is alive.”
The Mahoskeys were not deterred by the odds.
When Stella disappearing in the month of July Sarah as well as Jerome’s buddies began to hike the trails close to the spot where she disappeared. Residents have reported sightings. The Mahoskeys examined each report. After two months of investigation, Sarah told a friend, “I feel like there’s one percent chance she’s out there and I can’t let go.”
In the early part of September, they received one last call – one from Tim Eddy, a friend of Jerome’s working at the quarry that day.
“He asked Do you own an golden retriever? And Jerome replied, Yes, we had an golden retriever. He then says, “Well I believe this is the golden retriever you have.”
Jerome asked a friend to keep an eye on the kids. He then turned up his four-wheeler, then drove past. At first, he couldn’t observe anything but an expanse of rock.
“She was on a rock side, and it was just this rock and ash exactly the same color as Sarah,” Sarah said. “She was completely absorbed. The reality that Tim was able to see her – I kept asking him,”How did you spot her?”
Stella probably hadn’t been in the pit for long as there wasn’t a lot of water and food – however, the Mahoskeys claim that the smells and sounds of the pit may be a home for Stella who was raised around Jerome’s excavation work.
“She is aware of those sounds, and they’re safe for Sarah,” Sarah said. “They are, as the sounds she’s had in her ears all of her existence since she was 4 five years old.”
Stella was dropping to around 30 pounds, or half her normal weight. There was a large gash on her left side. The Mahoskeys haven’t confirmed the fact that the cut was caused by a bear however, they believe it’s probably the best explanation.
“We believe she probably sat down for a good while and was probably not capable of moving around and was aware that the wound needed to be healed,” Sarah said. “She evidently found a secure place, since her bleeding but was not discovered by that bear or another is quite an accomplishment.”
“Miracle” isn’t an exaggeration. The risks for animals lost in Alaska in these conditions are numerous. However, Stella has a knack of staying strong in the face of odds. In 2015, a year since Stella was adopted by the Mahoskeys adopt Stella as a baby from the couple living in Port Alexander, she rode along with Jerome to work on a gloomy August morning.
Here’s the former KCAW reporter Rachel Waldholz reading the news in the morning:
“Heavy rains have caused what appears to be six land slides in Sitka early on Tuesday. causing the city to issue a declaration of a state emergency.”
The sequence of landslides on the day of the event resulted in the deaths of three and rocked Sitka. Sitka community. Jerome barely escaped the landslide, however the truck with Stella inside was smashed. Jerome was prepared for the most severe.
After that, just a few minutes after rescuers had suspended their search due to the unstable circumstances “rescuers managed to rescue a dog from the rubble.”
Stella’s ability to survive a landslide in 2015 may be due to luck. Her return from the wilderness in 2023 was a matter of luck as well as something else. Sarah states that Stella probably survived by hunting for food.
“She is always picking her own berries whenever we hike,” Sarah said. “And she adores dandelion root.”
Following recommendation from her veterinarian, Stella was on a strict diet for the first 10 days following her return to her loved ones. Since then, she’s eating well. She’s now at 41 pounds and she’s received delivery of bone broth from venison and salmon from her friends.
“Fried eggs for breakfast, whatever she wishes,” Sarah said.
Stella doesn’t reveal details about what transpired during her absence however, she’s not changed a lot. The only thing that has changed, Sarah says as she cut another piece of cheese from the block to Stella it’s that she’s definitely hungry than she was before.
