UPDATE: Annette Poitras and the three dogs have been found alive and well. Update here.
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A Coquitlam dog walker, along with three dogs, have now been missing for more than 40 hours, but search crews are not giving up hope.
Search and Rescue crews from across the province gathered in Coquitlam on Wednesday morning for another day of searching.
More than 60 volunteers are out looking for Annette Poitras on Burke Mountain and in the Coquitlam Watershed.
Poitras, 56, was last spoken to at about 2:30 p.m. on Monday, when she said that she was taking three dogs for a walk near her home in Westwood Plateau.
“She was walking three dogs when she went missing, or we believe she was, anyway: a collie named Chloe, that’s her dog, and a boxer named Roxy who is a very young dog, and a puggle named Bubba who is 13-years-old and a little overweight,” said Coquitlam Search and Rescue manager Michael Coyle.
Crews have been looking for her since 8 p.m. on Monday.
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“It’s a popular hiking-dog walking area so there’s all sorts of tracks and things, but nothing we can say is tied to her,” said Coyle.
Poitras is believed to be wearing a black toque, and a pink or navy jacket.
Her husband of 22 years remains optimistic that search crews will find her and the dogs on Wednesday.
“It was awful last night, the rain, the cold yesterday, but today it looks like it’s holding off a little bit,” he said. “It’s going to be a good day today.”
WATCH: Missing dog walker’s husband on third day of Coquitlam search:
The warmer temperature on Wednesday is encouraging for search crews.
“She was also known to try new trails, and we’re alive to all possibilities,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin, media relations officer with Coquitlam RCMP.
“Obviously, until we find her, we don’t know what the exact story was. We just know this was the area where she was last known to be.”
There is no evidence to suggest Poitras is anywhere other than in the backcountry and RCMP say this remains a rescue effort.
“We’re redoubling our efforts today. There is a full- time missing person’s unit of the Coquitlam RCMP that’s working on this file, in combination with our uniformed investigators,” said McLaughlin. “Along with that, there is a massive search effort, which is being spearheaded by Coquitlam Search and Rescue.”
He added there has been a full outpouring of support from members of the public.
Crews are asking the public to stay away from the search area however, and have specified that no drones are to be used, as they need to keep the airspace clear for helicopters.
-With files from Jordan Armstrong.
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