A border collie and a good Samaritan made for a shortened stay in the woods for a Chemainus senior.
North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP were called to a home in Chemainus on May 28th at approximately 7:42 in the evening. An 80 year old senior had not returned from his afternoon walk and his daughter was understandably worried. Once her father’s Border Collie was brought home by a concerned citizen, she knew her dad was in trouble.
The seven year old Border Collie had left his owner’s side, where the man had fallen, made his way to the roadway and lain down. The investigators believe this was the canine’s way of drawing attention to himself and in turn, his owner.
A full on neighbourhood search party was struck, and boots and paws hit the ground, looking for the dog’s human. Once the Police were notified, they called out Cowichan Search and Rescue and consulted with the Police Dog Service. One more hour passed before the border collie and his human were reunited.
The Chemainus man was taken to hospital to get checked over after his seven hour ordeal in the woods then, he was released with only minor injuries.
So the lessons to be learned?
Take your trusty canine partner with you on your daily hikes; make sure his tag information is up to date; and if you find a dog that looks out of place, investigate, please, don’t just walk on by.
“Thank you to the Good Samaritan that trusted their instincts and brought the pup home and the Chemainus community for doing the neighbourly thing and helping search for their neighbour,” said Cpl. Krista Hobday.