A missing Coquitlam dog walker and three dogs have been found alive and well almost 48 hours after they went missing.
More than 60 search and rescue crew members and RCMP officers had been searching for 56-year-old Annette Poitras and three dogs since they went missing Monday afternoon.
Coquitlam RCMP say Poitras was found shortly before noon Wednesday and has now been taken to hospital after being rescued by search and rescue crews.
Poitras was with three dogs – a collie named Chloe, a boxer named Roxy and a puggle named Bubba. They too are alive and well and have been reunited with their owners.
“I was just dreading it all day long, just thinking about her alone out there with the dogs,” said Bubba’s owner Tina. “You hear the rain, you know how cold it is and yeah, I was losing faith. I didn’t want to, I’m sorry to say.”
WATCH: Raw video of Annette Poitras’ and the dogs’ rescue:
Poitras was found in a marshy basin in the watershed area, between Cypress and Burke Mountain. It’s an area outside where hikers and dog walkers would normally venture but police say it’s too early to determine how she became lost and stuck.
“Essentially the search technique we used, we started out doing sound sweeps in the early portion when we weren’t getting a response,” said Coquitlam Search and Rescue manager Al Hurley. “We started getting closer and closer together, going further and further into the wilderness and she was found by a sound sweep and then the dogs lit up and started barking extensively. So we knew we were on the right path.
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“Dogs are tough, and they can go days without food and it’s amazing how great their condition is, actually.”
WATCH: Cpl. Michael McLaughlin on the rescue of missing dog walker Annette Poitras in the Coquitlam watershed:
Poitras’ husband said he never gave up hope his wife would be found and held back tears after learning Annette was found safe.
“She’s coming home,” said Marcel. “It’s incredible they’ve been out there searching day and night. I just want to say thank you to search and rescue.”
He said he knew Wednesday was going to be a positive day for the search.
“I’ve had some dark days here. I woke up this morning and I just, I just knew it, I knew she was coming home today.”
He said he couldn’t breathe when he was told crews found her alive.
WATCH: Missing dog walker
“It was just amazing, you know the people that are here today, obviously I’m amazed at the type of work that the people here are just incredible,” he said. “That have been out there searching day and night. I cannot possibly say enough. This is the result they work for. This is their reward. They made it themselves and they deserve everything they can get.”
“You know I just want to say support your local search and rescue and you know what, hug your spouse tonight. Whoever you’re lying in bed with tonight, hold on to them.”
WATCH: Marcel Poitras talks to Jordan Armstrong about his wife Annette’s rescue after her two-day ordeal lost in the Coquitlam watershed.
While the search was a long and difficult one, crews didn’t give up and worked countless hours to find Poitras.
“This is one of those situations where expert rescuers need to be given the room to do what they do,” said McLaughlin. “They started with a very wide area, and then after eliminating some areas, they got more and more specific, and went to areas they thought she might be. We also used some information about cell phone location, and with all that, together with the RCMP and rescuers, managed to find her alive.”
He added in these situations, it is wonderful to give a waiting and scared family such good news.
“I can’t tell you how great it is when you can sit the family down and give them good news,” added McLaughlin. “The reaction is overwhelming, it’s emotional, but it’s a good day for us and a great day for the family.”
Poitras was last heard from around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, when she said that she was taking the three dogs for a walk near her home in Westwood Plateau.
Roxy’s owner, Janet Kilberg, wanted to thank all the search volunteers that worked tirelessly to get Annette and the dogs home.
“I just so appreciate everything that’s been done, all the efforts,” she said. “Annette is a good friend of mine and I wish her well and I hope that she can get back out walking real soon, cause all the dogs love her.”
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