This dog was injured by wildfire in the South Okanagan.
Image Credit: B.C. SPCA
July 29, 2021 - 11:39 AM
A dog injured by South Okanagan wildfire is on the road to recovery after going missing for four days when the wildfire broke out, only to be found covered in burns.
On July 22, B.C. SPCA special constable Alex Jay was assisting at Charlie’s Pet Food Bank, a weekly SPCA outreach program for pet guardians in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, when a man came in, desperately seeking help for his seven-year-old dog which had been burned in the fire, according to a press release issued by the SPCA.
The man had been working as a seasonal fruit picker in the Osoyoos and Oliver area when fires broke out, destroying the place he had been living in and causing his dog Tonnerre (“Thunder” in French) to flee from the flames.
“He frantically searched for Tonnerre after he bolted from the fires. He was heartbroken, fearing his pet had died, but Tonnerre reappeared four days later, covered in burns,” Jay said in the news release.
Tonnerre’s owner put him in his van and drove straight to his brother’s home in East Vancouver. His brother’s girlfriend recommended he take Tonnerre to Charlie’s Food Bank to see if the SPCA could help.
“When we saw the dog we knew he needed treatment right away and transported him to a nearby emergency hospital for care,” Jay said. “He was treated for his burns and other injuries, which thankfully turned out to be less serious than at first thought.”
The B.C. SPCA covered the costs of care and Tonnerre is back with his guardian, on the road to recovery.
The owner told Jay many seasonal fruit works bring their animals as companions.
The SPCA provides free emergency boarding for the pets of evacuated families, to rescue animals trapped behind the fire lines and to ensure that farm animals, which cannot be moved from evacuated areas but are not in immediate danger, are receiving food, water and care.
READ MORE: Volunteers brave summer heat to provide pet supplies to evacuees in Kamloops
Jay, who has been working regularly behind the fire lines in Lytton and Kamloops, said there were many animals that needed help.
"We’ve seen some heartbreaking situations, but for the most part we have been able to locate animals who are alive and safe and have been able to reunite them with their thankful families. It’s a very good feeling to be able to make those reunions possible," he said.
Image Credit: BC SPCA
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