Jon TaylorB次元官网网址檚 world turned upside down for a moment when he heard a stranger had claimed his lost dog.
Five-year-old German shepherd Sheila arrived four days earlier from Manitoba before she broke through the screen door of their home on the night of Aug. 18, chasing away what Taylor believed to be a bear.
He called her name, but without a response, Taylor immediately knew something was wrong. He reached out to a veterinarian friend in Nanaimo to help spread the word on social media of his lost dog.
Hours later, a Good Samaritan found Sheila along Otter Point Road in Sooke and posted about the find on a Sooke community Facebook page.
But before Taylor saw the post, a stranger claimed they were the owner and picked up the dog that same night.
On the morning of Aug. 19, the day of TaylorB次元官网网址檚 birthday, the man woke up to find that Find Lost and Escaped Dogs (FLED) Vancouver Island had posted about the German shepherd, but it was all too late.
The lost and found situation was now a rescue mission.
READ MORE: Lost dog reunited with family three months after going missing along Juan de Fuca trail
Taylor began a police file and contacted B.C. Ferries in case a car matching the description the Good Samaritan had given would match with someone trying to leave the Island.
Meanwhile, posts about SheilaB次元官网网址檚 story were being spread across Facebook and amassing hundreds of shares and likes.
B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 a super happy dog that isnB次元官网网址檛 aggressive at all,B次元官网网址� said Taylor. B次元官网网址淚f you open up a truck door for her, sheB次元官网网址檚 going to think youB次元官网网址檙e one of my friends giving me a ride.B次元官网网址�
Luckily, Sheila was found in the same area she was spotted the night before later on the morning of Aug. 19. Taylor was reunited with the dog at the Sooke RCMP detachment later that day.
Taylor believes the person that claimed Sheila saw the posts and decided to drop her off in Sooke.
B次元官网网址淚 was just so emotionally exhausted,B次元官网网址� said Taylor. B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 my buddy. IB次元官网网址檝e had her since she was six months old. To be apart from her while I was settling into Sooke the past six months, then to have her taken away was almost traumatic.B次元官网网址�
Central Island Veterinary Emergency Hospital officials say the best way to ensure youB次元官网网址檙e giving a dog to its rightful owner is by asking for photos of the dog with its owner.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no fault to the person who gave her over to the stranger,B次元官网网址� said Alanna Hibbert, with the veterinary hospital. B次元官网网址淚 wouldB次元官网网址檝e done the same thing. IB次元官网网址檓 just glad that this situation had the best possible ending because it couldB次元官网网址檝e been much worse.B次元官网网址�
As far as how Sheila is doing, Taylor said the dog took a four-hour nap the moment she arrived back at home.
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aaron.guillen@goldstreamgazette.com
