WATCH: Imagine spending Christmas without that family member who’s always there? For one North Vancouver family, that fear nearly became reality when their beloved Bernese Mountain Dog disappeared during a walk. Elaine Yong reports.
A North Vancouver family almost had their Christmas ruined after their beloved Bernese Mountain Dog disappeared during a walk, but thanks to the power of social media and volunteers with North Shore Rescue, they were reunited with their pet.
Two weeks ago, Hudson unexpectedly embarked on the adventure of a lifetime when he got spooked and ran away from his dog walker.
Hudson’s owner Charlotte Fekete frantically drove around the neighbourhood near Capilano Mall in North Vancouver, looking for her dog.
“I was hopeless,” says Fekete. “There was no way we were going to find him, because he disappeared and there was no trace.”
After several hours of fruitless searching, she called a friend with North Shore Rescue.
While the volunteer team doesn’t look for pets, they did post it on their Facebook page and the response was incredible.
Mike Danks with North Shore Rescue told Global News they asked their followers to keep an eye out for the dog and post updates.
“We did not task out our team, but we put the word out there,” says Danks. “The North Shore is full of dog lovers and if we can make a difference for a dog, we will do it and we will do whatever we can.”
With real-time updates, Fekete and her growing band of searchers, many of them complete strangers, were able to pinpoint Hudson’s most recent location.
Eventually, he ended up several kilometers north at Edgemont Village, somehow managing to safely cross a number of busy intersections along the way.
After 26 hours, it was a happy reunion for a very grateful family.
“It was truly remarkable,” says Fekete. “Until then, we were just driving around, handing out phone numbers randomly. I can’t imagine he would have survived much longer without getting hit.”
Hudson’s family made a donation to North Shore Rescue as a Christmas ‘thank you.’
They also got a little something for their escape artist, which he got to open early. Hudson will not go out without his harness anymore.
With files from Elaine Yong
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