SEARSMONT — Bear took off in the April 9 snowstorm that dumped 11-17 inches of wet, heavy snow across the Midcoast. His family hunted high and low for him, put up posters and spread photos of him across the internet. The husky, a healthy 2-year-old, is shy, his owners warned. Please don’t chase him.

As the days went by, concern mounted. Another heavy rainstorm clobbered the region, swelling rivers and saturating the woods. What happened to Bear?

And then, late in the day, April 15, he was spotted, limping slowly home. Neighbors found him in the woods behind their home, covered in porcupine quills.

“He is doing pretty good,” said Dede Darling, April 16. “Real hungry and thirsty.”

Bear had run off with his pack mates, Smokey and Buddy. Those two had been immediately found, but Bear roamed for six days. His family hunted and hollered for him: four wheelers were in the woods, and trucks were going up and down the roads of Searsmont; everyone was looking for Bear.

“He cannot walk on his front paw,” said Darling. “The vet thinks he got tangled up with porcupine the day he left or the day after. They were deep in all paws.”

His family is overjoyed to see him. The other two dogs have been watching him from a distance, knowing he is not feeling well.

“He is resting on his blanket under the kitchen table,” said Darling. “One of his favorite spots.”

But he is home, safe and sound.