A Campbell River woman says a concerted effort by her community and a local animal shelter helped bring her lost pup home safe and sound.
Penny Moch was in despair after her Yorkshire terrier-chihuahua went missing this summer.
What followed was an elaborate search that involved social media tipsters and a live-animal trap in the woods, equipped with a video camera. Ten days passed before Moch was reunited with Jax.
鈥淚t was almost like the elusive sasquatch,鈥� said Moch. 鈥淲e鈥檇 get sightings of him but no one could catch him.鈥�
Jax slipped away through an open door. One of Moch鈥檚 granddaughters went looking for the dog, and other family members soon joined the search. Meanwhile, Moch was posting about her lost dog on Facebook.
Someone online reported that he鈥檇 seen a little dog in the middle of Hwy. 28, across the river from Moch鈥檚 home at the Woodburn trailer park.
| Jax the dog was missing for 10 days, before a community effort brought him home. Photo by David Gordon Koch/Campbell River Mirror. |
Facebook users then reported seeing the dog heading east, towards Haig-Brown House. But nobody could find Jax in the area, and by the next day, there were no new sightings of the five-year-old pup.
鈥淚 had given up,鈥� said Moch, who had bottle-fed Jax as a puppy. 鈥淚 figured he was dead in the middle of a ditch somewhere.鈥�
Meanwhile, Nikki Watts had been putting up brightly coloured posters.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 just part of what I do,鈥� said Watts, who volunteers as vice president of Campbell River Partners for Animal Welfare Society, also known as PAWS.
Watts also coordinates , a Facebook group run by the PAWS group. The organization works closely with Coastal Animal Control and the BC SPCA.
People use the Facebook forum to alert fellow members about errant cats and dogs, or other animals like bunnies and chickens spotted roaming the street.
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Moch鈥檚 post about Jax 鈥� which noted that 鈥渉e recently had a haircut so looks a lot like a chihuahua鈥� 鈥� was shared more than 50 times on the group.
But it was the placards on the street that yielded a tip leading Moch to a wooded area on the Inland Highway, near Willis Road.
That became the focus of the search, as volunteers came out to walk the trails. They also helped check a doggy trap that was set up in the area as tipsters spotted the dog over the next several days.
Campbell River PAWS also set up a video camera on the trail, which allowed the pet detectives to review footage showing that Jax was in the area.
The group later released a video containing footage of the dog as he nibbled on food placed nearby as bait.
Story continues below video.
Trails of food 鈥� including fish, a 鈥渟tinky food鈥� liable to attract the dog 鈥� led to a live-animal trap, camouflaged by foliage.
Zap straps held the doorway open at night, since it鈥檚 dangerous for an animal to remain stuck in the cage for more than a few hours. People checked the trap frequently during the day.
Other familiar objects belonging to Moch, such as her nightgowns, were placed inside the trap, for Jax to pick up the scent.
Her daughter, Heaven-Lee Sloat, was even prepared to camp out to recover the lost pooch.
鈥淢e and a couple of friends, we were going to set up a tent and a little lantern in the woods and go play cards all night long, and see if he came to us sitting there quietly,鈥� she said.
They didn鈥檛 have to resort to that.
The dog had been missing for more than a week, when Moch鈥檚 husband, Dan, was heading into the forest to check the traps along with Watts and an amateur pet detective from the Comox Valley.
Suddenly, Dan spotted the elusive pet. He was about to run after it, but the Comox Valley helper urged him to sit down and speak softly to the dog.
鈥淲hen Jax realized it was him, he came flying out of the woods and leaped into Dan鈥檚 arms,鈥� said Moch. 鈥淲hen Dan was heading back to the vehicle, [Jax] was going nuts because he spotted me out at the highway.鈥�
It was an emotional reunion after a 10-day absence.
鈥淓verybody was crying,鈥� said Moch. 鈥淭he granddaughter鈥檚 looking at everybody and she鈥檚 going: 鈥榃hy are you guys crying?鈥欌��
She credited Watts and Campbell River PAWS for getting the word out, and thanked the many people who helped with the search.
, Watts said, urging people not to give up if their animal friend goes missing.
鈥淚f you lose an animal, don鈥檛 panic,鈥� she said. 鈥淧ost, ask, and we鈥檒l help.鈥�
david.koch@campbellrivermirror.com
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