A golden retriever named Murphy has been found a long way from where he was last seen in October — sparking hopes of a renewed search for his master.The dog and owner Jim Barnes were reported missing on a hunting trip in the Chetwynd region in mid–October. According to Barnes' partner Micaela Sawyer, a dog recently found near Wonowon B.C. on November 28, well over 100 kilometres from Chetwynd as the crow flys, has been identified as Murphy, reported Moose Media on Tuesday..The region between Chetwynd and Wonowon is thick forested woodland – foothills, valleys, waterways and ravines — shot through with oil and gas leases, backroads and logging clearcuts. The village of Wonowon is located at mile 101 of the Alaska Highway and is home to the Halfway River First Nation..Search and rescue efforts started the week after Barnes and Murphy went missing, but were paused so police could gather more information about the case, reported Moose Media.According to a Facebook post from Sawyer, identifying Murphy was challenging because of his condition after spending weeks outside traversing difficult terrain and potentially fending off predators.“He is badly injured, with major swelling, puncture wounds (possibly from a dog or coyote), a broken front paw, and scabs all over,” wrote Sawyer.“His behaviour has changed too, from a quiet, independent dog to one who barks at every sound and howls when I leave the room. It’s been a heartbreaking journey, and while we wish Murphy could share his story, we fear we couldn’t bear to hear it. He’s such a sweet boy, and he didn’t deserve any of this, nor did Jim.”"Finding Murphy alive gives us hope that we might finally get answers about what happened to Jim.".A total of 4140 people have signed a petition in hopes of spurring police, search and rescue and politicians to resume the search for Barnes."After another young man who went missing around the same time as Jim was rescued alive in northern B.C. on November 26th," says the petition. "This young man survived over 50 days out in the wilderness, and had similar bush experience like Jim does." "Please consider allocating additional resources to expand upon previous search perimeters to assist uncovering additional information to help locate Jim. Let us not lose hope, miracles do happen, and Jim’s loved ones deserve closure."
