Keno the dog has been found.

But the four-year-old husky/shepherd cross that went missing on Mount Prevost on Jan. 25 was found not far from where he was lost on the mountain, and not in the Coombs area where the main search for him has been underway for weeks.

Keno was spotted on a logging road on Mount Prevost on the evening of Feb. 10 by a man named James before taking off back into the woods when James tried to approach him.

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James knew that the dog fit the description of Keno after seeing the media coverage of the search for him and contacted Jesse McMaster, Keno鈥檚 owner who has been searching almost every day for his best friend.

McMaster, who was in Coombs searching for Keno when he got the call, immediately headed to Mount Prevost and began cooking bacon in the area where Keno was spotted in the middle of the night to try to entice the dog to come to the smell.

McMaster said he was overjoyed when Keno appeared; although the dog looked pretty skinny and hungry after his long ordeal in the woods.

鈥淚 took him immediately to a veterinarian and he got a clean bill of health, although he needs to put some weight on,鈥� he said.

鈥淗e鈥檚 also pretty tired and needs to rest. I鈥檇 like to thank everyone who was involved in the search, including FLED [Finding Lost & Escaped Dogs], ROAM BC [an organization that helps reunite lost animals with their owners], the Arrowsmith Animal Resource Foundation and all the volunteers. It was a long search and all the help was really appreciated.鈥�

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The search for Keno was centred in the Coombs area, about 100 kilometres north of where the dog went missing, after credible sightings of him were made at the Coombs Country Campground and other areas in the region several days after his disappearance.

Gary Shade, a member of FLED who was active in the search, said the main witness at the campground described the dog that was believed to be Keno so well that it left little doubt with the searchers that Keno was in the Coombs area.

He said added to that certainty was the fact that there were no sightings of Keno on Mount Prevost since his disappearance before the one on Wednesday night, despite there being people on the mountains trail systems all the time.

McMaster said Keno is skittish and pretty elusive, and he may have hid for many days before hunger forced him to search for food and be seen.

鈥淚鈥檓 just glad to have him back,鈥� he said.

robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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