A sad ending in the search of a dog who fell down a waterfall last month at North Vancouver’s Lynn Canyon Park.
Maya, the nine-year-old golden retriever’s body was found over the weekend.
Her owner, Macarena Masedo says North Shore Search and Rescue found her near Twin Falls three weeks after the incident.
“She was a really sweet dog, friendly, she was so active, so healthy, she was the queen of our house.”
On May 23rd, Masedo and her husband were playing with Maya when the dog followed a stick into Lynn Creek.
Moments later, the dog was swept away by the rushing current and over a waterfall.
“My husband tried to catch her, but she was a bit scared and nervous, and then all of a sudden she was swamped by the water,” said Masedo.
Masedo called for help and park rangers along with the District of North Vancouver Fire Rescue Service came to search.
Firefighters even conducted a high-angle rope descent in an attempt to locate the lost dog.
“You know, we understand that whether it is a loved one, whether it is a child or whether it is a pet, these are people’s family members, and that if there was any opportunity to have a positive outcome that we’d love to be involved and helped on,” said DNV Fire Assistant Chief Jeremy Duncan.
“That’s what they trained for.”
Duncan says the incident is a reminder of how dangerous the region’s creeks and waterways can be during spring runoff.
“I know the river is beautiful and you kind of feel like you want to get close — even if you have a four-legged friend who normally wants to go swimming, now is not the time,” he said.
“It is definitely a high-flow river right now due to the snowmelt. And the best of times, that river is very powerful and unforgiving, as we’ve seen many people get injured or unfortunately worse in that canyon.”