A golden retriever named Milo Bear has won the 18th annual Hambone Award, which honors the most unusual pet insurance claim of the year, according to UPI Odd News and Nationwide Pet Insurance.
Nationwide said Milo was startled by a sudden noise during a Christmas Day trip to the mountains near Lake Tahoe in California and ran off on a cross-country ski trail. He remained missing for 72 days before being found at a shelter.
Although Milo was extremely thin when he turned up, the company said he was otherwise unharmed. After spending four days in a veterinary hospital, he was able to return home to his family.
Nationwide’s chief veterinary officer, Emily Tincher, said the reunion after weeks of uncertainty reflects both the family’s determination and the dog’s resilience. The Hambone Award is named after a dog that once got trapped in a refrigerator and ate an entire ham, leaving only the bone.
