Desperate Calgary family searching in cold for missing emotional support dog

A Calgary family is on a desperate search to find their 11-month-old poodle, who is an emotional support dog for their daughter who lives with special needs.

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The Wong family said Noble escaped from a fenced yard of a friend’s Deer Run home in the southeast of Calgary on Sunday night and was last spotted near a strip mall on Deerfield Drive and 146 avenue SE.

Rebecca Wong is one of Noble’s family members.

“He is a special needs therapy dog to my niece. The kids are inconsolable right now. He’s a complete comfort for her so nobody has been sleeping,” Wong said.

The family said Noble is microchipped and they are worried sick about him.

“He’s one of our kids. He’s not just a pet, he’s family,” Wong said in an emotional interview.

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“We just need to find him. He’s a smart dog and very headstrong so we are just hoping that he’s going to make it home,” Wong said.

“It’s a race against time with the weather.”

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There’s been a neighbourhod search for him throughout nearby Fish Creek Provincial Park as well as the neighbouring communities. Jillian McAlister is volunteering her time to help coordinate more searches and is needing to recruit more help.

“Being a pet owner myself, your heart just drops when things like this happen,” McAlister said.

“He’s scared, he’s cold and he’s going to be getting hungry. He will start making himself appear and we need people to sit and watch the area to see any sighting for him,” McAlister said.

She is asking residents in Deer Run, Deer Ridge, Queensland, Parkland, Sundance, Chaparral, Chaparral Valley and McKenzie Towne to keep an eye out for him.

“It’s crunch time and we need to locate him because it’s very cold and he needs to go home to his family,” McAlister said.

The K9 recovery service is helping too. Darlene Burt said it’s important anyone who spots Noble to not chase after him.

“I have been consulting with family and trying my best to guide those who are boots on the ground that can assist,” Burt said.

“Coordinated efforts–K9 Recovery Service will provide equipment such as a trap, if need arises.”

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She said it’s critical to not call or attempt to catch a dog, as the dog will perceived that as a threat.

“They are most often in flight mode. They need to be left alone so they can settle down in an area to feel safe,” Burt said.

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There is a Facebook page devoted to finding Noble with contact information where the volunteers are asking people to reach out to them with any possible leads or sightings.

“It is important that owners and guardians be called immediately. They are the ones the dogs are conditioned to and will be most successful in catching these dogs,” Burt said.