LIME ISLAND, MI – A dog who went missing on Christmas while visiting family on a Canadian island ultimately became stranded on another, smaller island near the Upper Peninsula. It was there that he was spotted nine days later by a U.S. Coast Guard cutter crew that had been motoring up the St. Marys River.

Concerned about the dog, the Coast Guard crew was able to lure him in with macaroni and rescue him. He was due to pull into port with the crew in Cheboygan by this evening, where he’s to be reunited with his very excited owners, relatives said.

It’s an unusual rescue story that has dog lovers cheering on both sides of the border.

“Thank you so much to the US Coast Guard and the crew of the USCGC Mackinaw,” Andy Selin wrote on Facebook. Logan the dog belongs to his daughter, Lydia, and her boyfriend, Kailaan Walker. “Sounds like this dog is the star attraction on the ship with a crew of 50.”

The husky was lost on Christmas Day while Lydia Selin and Walker, who are from southern Ontario, were visiting her family on St. Joseph Island. The large island is in northwest Lake Huron, just across the border from the U. S., and north of our Drummond Island.

Logan had a collar on with a phone number. The couple posted Logan’s picture on social media, but hadn’t heard anything until this Thursday. That’s when Lydia Selin got a call from the crew aboard the Mackinaw, a 240-foot ice breaker.

The told her that on Wednesday, they noticed a dog on the ice of the St. Marys River. They saw it break through the ice, then struggle to shoreline of Lime Island, a small island on the U.S. side, just southwest of St. Joseph Island.

Lime Island is a state park area, and mostly uninhabited in the winter, except for the occasional bear, according to reports.

“The ship sent out a landing party of 20 to comb the island in search of the dog, but apparently could not talk the frightened animal into coming to their calls,” Andy Selin said. “They set a fire on the shore of the island and left out macaroni.”

The pasta did the trick. On Thursday, the Mackinaw crew against passed Lime Island and found the dog sitting there, along with the empty bowl.

The crew picked Logan up and brought him aboard the ship. Medical staff on board tended to his wounds, Selin said. Photos being shared by a crew member show Logan with bandaged feet.

Logan’s owners believe he was “on a quest, heading south back to his home farm.”

“Guess the dog felt the ice was the shortest route. Thanks to the U.S. coast guard, his trip home will be so much more enjoyable,” Selin said.

He said the Mackinaw was expected to pull into its home port this evening. That’s where his daughter and her boyfriend will be waiting to be reunited with Logan.

“The drama is still unfolding,” Selin told MLive. “Lydia and Kailaan just made Cheboygan and are waiting for the USSCG Mackinaw to dock. From the posts, sounds like the crew is as excited at Lydia and Kailaan are.”