WINNIPEG — Winnipegger, Kelly Ruth lives with her husband Sean and dog Dora in the Spence neighbourhood downtown.
Dora is a big dog, a mix of St. Bernard and golden retriever but she’s also shy. Kelly and Sean took a trip to Edmonton last summer for a wedding, but the dog couldn’t come, so they left her with a friend near Henderson Highway.
Then, the dreaded phone call.
“I was at a pub the day after the wedding, and I get a phone call from the babysitter who is a good friend of ours,” Kelly explains.
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“They were in a sheer panic, I think that they might have spent an hour looking for Dora before they called us. We jumped in the car and drove, got home at like 5 a.m. and started searching the riverbanks. My husband and I looked at each other and said, ‘This is insane. This is crazy.’ Our hearts sank, because we didn’t think it was possible.”
So what do you do if your dog goes missing?
We’ve all heard the calls to get the microchip, tattoo and licence beforehand, but if nobody can find the pup, what’s next?
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“Post an ad on Kijiji, make a report with Animal Services and the Humane Society, leave your gate open if possible, put food in your yard and something scented to lure the dog back,” Jessica McGregor, search coordinator for Winnipeg Lost Dog Aler saidt.
“Those are the main steps. Most dogs are reunited within 24 hours.”
The Winnipeg Lost Dog Alert Facebook page has over 39,000 likes, so when a dog goes missing, their team of volunteers springs into action. McGregor sayid they appreciate all the help they can get, even if some people unknowingly cause more harm than good.
“If you do see a loose dog that isn’t yours, never chase it. The worst thing you can do is chase them, it puts them in danger of running into traffic and scares them. But there are people that are amazing, that will actually sit out for hours spotting, trying to see the dog. People just generally love animals, they feel bad,” he said.
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