A seven-year-old Minneapolis rescue dog named Trooper was back under the covers after a day in the Boundary Waters that stretched from a missing notice to an unexpected reunion. On Saturday, Sept. 26, Millie Donoghue was on a trip in the wilderness with Trooper when he went missing, her sister Bess Donoghue wrote that afternoon on BWCA.com’s Boundary Waters Trip Planning Forum. Bess said he was last seen near Parent Lake and that Millie had limited phone reception.
The notice gave details that could help a traveler recognize him: Trooper weighed about 40 to 45 pounds, had mostly black fur, brown paws and a brown spot above each eye, and was wearing a light-blue life jacket. Bess asked people who saw him to call her and said any tips would be appreciated. Forum replies offered practical suggestions, including contacting search groups and local authorities. The posts gave readers a location, a description and a way to pass information to the family while Millie’s phone reception was limited.
On Sunday, Sept. 27, the same thread carried a first-hand update. That was one day after Bess’s initial notice. A forum member using the name Achemers wrote that they had found Trooper and were happy to have him. The finder said the dog quickly earned the trail name Manifesto and enjoyed a patty from Dairy Queen in town after the trail. In a later reply, Achemers placed the find on the Snowbank side of a small pond between Boot and Snowbank.
Bess responded by thanking the people who had taken care of Trooper. Her reply was brief: the family was grateful and called them heroes. A separate first-person message later in the thread said its writer was reunited with Trooper after a long 24 hours. The writer pictured Trooper curled under the covers after dinner, with a pup cup promised.
CBS Minnesota’s September 29 report added context and identified people behind the reunion. It reported that Andrew Chemers was traveling with a different group several miles away when he spotted Trooper in brush near Snowbank Lake. Chemers told CBS that Trooper had been reported missing near Parent Lake and appeared to have traveled a distance during the night. CBS identified Trooper as a seven-year-old rescue dog from Minneapolis and Millie Donoghue as his owner.
The location accounts are close but not identical, so they are best kept attributed. Bess’s original alert placed the last sighting near Parent Lake. Achemers later described the find between Boot and Snowbank, while CBS reported that Chemers spotted Trooper in brush near Snowbank Lake. Together, the accounts place the reunion around the Snowbank area, without pinpointing an exact spot on a map.
Millie told CBS the search had been difficult: at points, she said, she was on her hands and knees on the trails crying. Seeing Trooper healthy and alive brought her deep relief. The forum updates focus on practical details—what he looked like, where he was last seen, who found him, and when the family got back together—while the interview captures what those hours felt like to the person waiting for him.
The forum record shows several separate acts: a family member posted a specific notice, other members offered suggestions, a camper who found Trooper added information, and the family replied with thanks. It does not establish which message or recommendation mattered most, but it preserves the exchange as it unfolded over the weekend. For readers following the alert, the crucial change was clear: Trooper had gone from missing near Parent Lake to found and back with his owner.
The family also shared a practical change for future trips. Millie told CBS that Trooper would wear a leash and tracker on their next outing. That detail gives the reunion a grounded ending: not a claim that every risk disappeared, but a family taking its dog home safe and planning differently the next time they return to the woods.
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