Dartmouth woman gets dog back a year after River went on the run
CBC
A Dartmouth, N.S., woman says she can't believe she's getting her dog back almost a year after River went on the run in the Portapique, N.S., area.
Michelle MacLean received the call Friday at 5 a.m. AT from one of the people who has been working to track the shepherd mix. River was in Great Village, N.S., which is around 10 kilometres from Portapique.
"I know it's true, but a part of me is thinking, 'OK, what's going to happen now before I get her home?'" said MacLean.
MacLean adopted River from Texas in late October 2020. She said River was timid when she first arrived and was adjusting to life at her new home.
"We were just in the beginning stages of getting to know one another and we really were just at the tip of that iceberg," said MacLean.
She was in the process of moving last December and had a friend in Portapique temporarily take care of the dog. While outside on Dec. 30, River took off.
The past year has been a cycle of losing hope and getting it back, prompted by sightings of River.
'I'd just start to lose hope and then she'd pop her head back out again pretty much to say, 'Hey, here I am, I'm still OK,'" said MacLean.
After River went missing, MacLean contacted the Nova Scotia Lost Dog Network, a Facebook group dedicated to "bringing missing dogs home." A post about River's situation was made.
Kim Hillier read the post. She took a course on finding missing animals and contacted MacLean to volunteer her services.
Hillier said one of the most important things to do after a dog does missing is to post lost dog posters, which will prompt tips from people about where the dog is spotted. The sightings will then prompt the search efforts.
Equipped with a trap and surveillance cameras, the Great Village resident spent countless hours walking wooded areas and moving the trap around.
She even lost 10 pounds during the process from all of the walking, while also cutting her hands and bruising her knees from tripping in the woods.
"Mentally, it is exhausting," said Hillier. "It costs a lot and people just don't get it."
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