Gail Robinson and Mary Huntington are fans of happy endings.

That鈥檚 why they drove more than 600 kilometres in a snowstorm to deliver Dexter the cat to his home in Williams Lake on Wednesday.

The two are from Pritchard, a small community outside Kamloops, and their story, and Dexter鈥檚, is one you can鈥檛 help but feel good about.

The story starts last July, as two cars stuffed with six adults, seven cats, two dogs, one rabbit and all the personal belongings that could fit, evacuated from Williams Lake at the height of the wildfires.

One car belonged to Diane Walters, Dexter鈥檚 owner, and the vehicles included relatives and a friend.

The group landed in Pritchard where Brian and Violet Hall, complete strangers, welcomed the group and set them up with a beautiful fifth wheel, litter boxes, accommodation for those who needed it and even a hutch for the rabbit.

鈥淭hey said they鈥檇 take the critters and the people that you need,鈥� says Diane.

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鈥淓verything was fine, except I have a cat, Dexter, who is used to coming and going as he sees fit. And he knows how to open screen doors,鈥� she says with a laugh.

On the night before they were set to return home, Dexter got tired of the fifth wheel and headed to the hills, leaving his family none the wiser on where he went.

Despite a sighting a week later, Dexter had not been seen or heard from since.

The two, who are roommates, volunteer with the Pritchard Volunteer Fire Department, which sent members to Williams Lake, 150 Mile and 70 Mile House during the summer鈥檚 wildfires.

They were also on the front lines of the start of a wildfire near Pritchard during the summer.

This phone call was nothing of the sort, however.

The local ecodepot, a dump-transfer station, was calling to request aid for a cat trapped in one of the dump areas.

鈥淭hey said, there鈥檚 been a cat in there since yesterday and we don鈥檛 have a long enough ladder,鈥� says Gail.

Mary, Gail and another volunteer headed over.

鈥淗e sticks his head out from the cardboard meowing, 鈥榟elp me!鈥欌�� says Mary.

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While reluctant to get into the carrying case, Dexter was friendly, and the group soon determined he wasn鈥檛 a stray.

鈥淗e was so friendly and happy,鈥� says Gail.

They put a picture of the cat on the Pritchard Facebook page, and didn鈥檛 get many results. They tried the next day, and still hadn鈥檛 determined who the cat belonged to.

Then, when they recalled a cat had gone missing over the summer during the wildfires, a friend suggested they post it on the .

Within an hour, they had located Diane鈥檚 family鈥檚 original posting and were in touch with a family member.

From there, Diane was only a phone call away, and Dexter a short trip to the vet to check his chip, before they confirmed the two belonged together.

鈥淲hen I saw the picture, I had no doubt,鈥� says Diane, noting her dog probably missed Dexter the most.

Two days later, Diane and Dexter were reunited, as Mary and Gail refused all offers to pick Dexter up and made the trip to Williams Lake themselves.

While a tad shy, (likely because of all the attention he was getting) it was obvious Dexter was happy to be reunited with his human.

鈥淭he fire department comes to the rescue again!鈥� says Mary with a laugh, admitting, alongside Gail, they were remarkably touched driving to the Cariboo and seeing the welcome home signs that are still in place along local roads.

鈥淗e just decided he was going on a holiday 鈥� an extended holiday,鈥� says Diane.

She says she had worried when the winter hit that Dexter wouldn鈥檛 make it home, particularly in a location heavy with coyotes, but the cat seems to have become an expert mouser.

He鈥檚 settling in now, says Diane, and he鈥檚 relaxing in the only place he can escape from the dog, who is 鈥渟o excited to see him she won鈥檛 leave him be.鈥�

As for Mary and Gail: they鈥檙e just happy to see Dexter home.

鈥淚 wanted to see the reunion,鈥� says Gail.

鈥淲e wanted to see the end of the story,鈥� adds Mary.

tara.sprickerhoff@wltribune.com
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