A Boxer dog named Vera has been found and secured after being on the loose for 55 days between Peachland and Merritt.
Image Credit: Boxer Rescue Canada
August 28, 2021 - 6:00 AM
A dog that has been on the loose since she left her home in Peachland, B.C. over seven weeks ago has been found near Merritt and brought to safety, thanks to the persistence of caring volunteers and a search team.
Vera the Boxer dog went missing from Peachland at the end of June, and in the weeks that followed was reportedly spotted by the public in West Kelowna, then along the Coquihalla Highway and then in the Lower Nicola Valley near Merritt, B.C.
Five weeks into her disappearance, there was a confirmed sighting near Merritt, and with assistance from Angel’s Animal Rescue, a live humane trap was set up on July 30 and caught her. Vera was brought safely to the rescue but escaped again at 4 a.m. the following day.
READ MORE: Owners, friends not giving up finding Peachland dog missing for five weeks
Vera was rescued again by K9 Recovery Service on the Rocky Pines First Nations reserve in Lower Nicola Valley with help from Boxer Rescue Canada on Aug. 22, according to founder, Marta Nettelfield.
"Boxer Rescue Canada got involved with Vera after her second escape in Merritt," Nettelfield said. "We had been following her story while she was on the loose in Peachland. We knew once she was loose in Merritt that extraordinary efforts were going to be needed to capture her and that is why we stepped up and engaged K9 Recovery Services out of Calgary to be the boots on the ground for the search effort."
Nettelfield said it took 17 long days of coordinated effort among several groups to secure Vera.
"Vera would not have been captured if it hadn't been for everyone involved," she said. "This includes her original rescuers from Peachland, the wonderful residents and businesses of Lower Nicola, the support of Thompson Nicola Regional District, and of course K9 Recovery Services of Calgary who was on site 24/7 until Vera was secured. They were able to hone in on her area of travel and set up an enclosure with food to entice her."
Nettelfield said that despite Vera's long ordeal, she is in remarkably good shape and the search team is happy their hard work paid off.
"Vera is very thin, but in good shape," she said. "She is timid and it will take some time for her to start trusting people again, but even in the few short days since she was secured she has made good progress."
Nettelfield chose not to elaborate on the situation surrounding the dog's former owner, but said Vera is now on her way to an experienced foster home.
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