A New Brunswick family whose 13-year-old dog was found after having gone missing for months has discovered he may never come home.
When the Arbeau family’s yellow lab name Rosco went missing back in April from their home in Upper Blackville, the family was frantic, said Leah Arbeau.
“We don’t just go on without him. There is no without Rosco,” she said.
She said the family spent weeks combing 150 acres of woods around their rural home trying to find their family pet.
“I would get on the four-wheeler and I would go for hours and search and search and search,” said her husband, Ashley Arbeau, who said his children were devastated by the loss.
“My youngest, she cries all the time for him. It is just unreal,” he added
Desperate to find Rosco, the family posted to social media hoping someone somewhere had spotted the dog, who they’ve had since he was a puppy.
Nearly two months passed and Arbeau said they had pretty well given up hope of finding Rosco until he happened upon a picture of his dog up for adoption on The Greater Moncton SPCA’s Facebook page — more than two hours away.
“I said, ‘I just found him! I found him!” he recalled.
Ashley Arbeau said it had never dawned on them to check a shelter so far away, so they immediately called only to get some crushing news/
“And now we are not allowed to have him back,” said Leah.
Just five days earlier, they said Rosco was adopted out. They were told by a representative from the SPCA that the new owners, despite the Arbreau’s plea to get him back, have decided to keep him.
“I just can’t go pick him up and all of my kids are just devastated,” he said.
The Greater Moncton SPCA said that the adoption process happens over several weeks and that animals in their care are posted on their website and social media pages across the province to allow potential owners to contact the shelter.
In a statement to Global News, the shelter’s operations manager, Heather Smith, said that once an animal is adopted, it becomes the legal responsibility of the new owners.
“Privacy laws ensure the significance of maintaining confidentiality and security of personal information. These same laws prevent the GMSPCA from sharing the personal information of adopters in all circumstances,” said Smith.
The SPCA could not provide any details to the Arbeaus about who now owns Rosco due to privacy laws.
“Whoever adopted him likely wants to take care of him, which is a good thing,” said Leah. “But to know he is alive and is out there is just killing us.”
The family has started an online campaign — hoping the new owners will see their story and have a change of heart, or at the very least, give them a chance to say goodbye.
“I have had so many people try to help and put posts up and try to reach out to the people who adopted him,” she said.
Ashley said that he can’t even bring himself to walk by the river where he took Rosco to swim on hot days.
“Every day there is always something that is a constant reminder that he is gone.”