Famous Korean rescue dog reunited with owners after being on the run for five weeks

The owners of a famous Korean rescue dog are relieved to be reunited with their pup more than a month after she disappeared.

The Jindo mix escaped during a walk on Nov. 28, two weeks after arriving in Kelowna, B.C.

"It's good to have her back. I mean, she's still kind of decompressing. I think it was quite the experience for us and for her," said Kyle Dyck, one of Milla's humans.

Milla was rescued in Korea in June last year. A video of her attempted rescue, where she is depicted as a self-sufficient dog living on an island, has over 1.2 millions views on Youtube.

"It's likely that she was going to survive in the wild for a couple of years on her own before being captured," said Dyck.

Dyck and Brian Bertvinson were looking for a new cat-friendly dog and were captivated by Milla's look and her story.

Over the five weeks since her escape, there were a few sightings of Milla in Kelowna, until she was finally tracked to a lumber yard.

Her second rescue was a lengthy challenge, as Milla is cautious around traps and people. 

Eventually, a dog trapping professional from Calgary-based K9 Recovery Service got involved. An enclosure was set up with bait and monitored over the holidays, until Milla was finally captured on Jan. 2.

"There are lots of people who were involved and helping out, which we were so blown away by … it took a whole village," said Dyck. 

A GoFundMe fundraiser was launched to help pay for the rescue efforts, and so far just under half of their $3,000 goal has been achieved.

Milla's owners acknowledge that she is very accustomed to the wild and they are taking extra measures to avoid another runaway.

"We have multiple leashes to keep her safe, we have a GPS that will be in our collars. So a little bit of anxiety in that way to prevent this from happening again," said Dyck.

While the pup is currently home and resting, Dyck says she will be taken to the vet in the coming days for a full check-up.