HUNDREDS of North Vancouver residents in the Blueridge neighbourhood joined dog walkers, blockwatchers, Northlands Golf Course staff, a provincial vets' group, a professional pet searcher and even a member of North Shore Rescue in a three-day search for a lost puppy last week.
Mason, a nine-month-old Rhodesian ridgeback puppy, bolted during an off-leash walk in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve Wednesday, Feb. 8. His handler believes nearby construction work may have alarmed him.
Owner Stefan Walsh said after Mason's escape, the dog was "fully in survival mode."
A lot of North Vancouver people saw Mason, said Walsh, and many tried to help. "He was on someone's back porch and they gave him a towel and some water but they couldn't grab him," he said.
Walsh and his wife passed out more than 300 flyers and put up as many as 50 posters. They made a Facebook page to find Mason and put out a Craigslist ad.
"We just contacted everyone possible," said Walsh, "the vets association of B.C., the SPCA, the cops. We ran across this gentleman who was a real estate agent and he put out an email to 500 Realtors to just have eyes on the North Shore. He was fantastic."
The Walshes spent Thursday night outside looking for their dog. Still consumed by worry Friday morning, Walsh and his spouse engaged a "pet searcher."
"It was a pretty cool experience. He was amazing," said Walsh. With the aid of a bloodhound, the searcher got Walsh within 500 metres of his pet in the Northlands area and he heard his dog barking.
Walsh and another 11 volunteers continued to comb the bush and talk to passersby.
"There are so many dog-walkers there and people were really concerned," said Walsh. "A lady spotted him high up in the trails and it took 45 minutes to get up there, but she just sat there in the forest. I think her dog spooked him though."
Later, staff at the Northlands Golf Course gave Walsh and his team flashlights and alerted their members through Facebook, but to no avail.
Ultimately, said Walsh, "I got a call from a gentleman on Standish Drive. (Mason) had just given up. He was sitting in the garage. I didn't really recognize him because he probably lost five to eight pounds but he had the (dog) walker's carabiner on him. My wife was the last one to get there because she had gone quite deep into Northlands. Everyone waited around for her reaction. The reunion was fantastic."
Mason is in good health now and expected to make a full recovery from his walkabout.
"Carla and I are so grateful to family friends and the community," said Walsh. "It really has rejuvenated our faith in community."
