Escaped dog treks 160 km across Switzerland in one night

File photo shows trainers with their Border Terriers at the 143rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2019
Getty Images via AFP / Sarah Stier

GENEVA, Switzerland — An escaped Border Terrier named Lucky made an epic 160-kilometer journey across Switzerland on the eve of the country's national holiday.

Her owners had left her in kennels in Bern canton, but the 14-year-old dog broke out on Monday evening. The following morning she turned up in Geneva 160 kilometrers away, the RTS public broadcaster reported.

"There was a hole in the fence" at the kennel, Lucky's owner Jennifer Wagner told RTS.

The dog was found near Lake Geneva, on the morning of August 1, as a sprinkling of fireworks began sounding for the Swiss national holiday.

A Geneva resident spotted the animal on the side of a road and alerted the authorities, RTS said.

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Since Lucky was microchipped, police swiftly tracked down her owners, who were in Berlin frantically awaiting news of their escaped pet.

Besides a few ticks in her coat, Lucky did not appear to have been hurt during her journey.

"I feel lucky that she is healthy, and did not die, and was not injured," Wagner told RTS. "It was a big fright for us."

Wagner however thinks her dog had a little help for her epic journey. She believes someone must have picked up the very friendly dog and driven her to Geneva.

"I don't think it is possible she ran (the whole way). It is 160 kilometers," she said. "That is impossible for a dog in such a short time."

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