A woman who suffers from severe depression is still searching for her lost therapy dog 65 days after it went missing from her Qualicum Beach home.
Stanley, a brown labradoodle that looks similar to an Irish Wolfhound, had been by owner Erika Anslow’s side for more than a decade before he escaped while she was on vacation.
“He’s been in my life for 11 years, and honestly if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be alive,” an emotional Anslow said Monday. “He goes everywhere with me.”
She said the dog “went searching” for her on Sept. 18 after she went on vacation, but the people taking care of the dog didn’t report it to her for 20 hours.
He’s an outside dog and was often seen running around Anslow’s 20-acre property, but no one in the community spotted Stanley after he went missing, leading Anslow to believe someone snatched her best friend.
“I know he’s alive and I know someone has picked him up, and for whatever reason, they’ve decided they can keep him,” she said. “I understand the joy he’s given you for the last two months, but think about the pain you’re causing.”
Anslow and others have since launched a massive search both online and on the streets, plastering countless photos of Stanley across the island and spreading the word on social media.
Petsearchers Canada, a company that tracks down lost pets, used bloodhounds to try to track Stanley’s scent in Qualicum Beach but found no sign of him.
A Facebook page called Find Stanley has attracted nearly 1,000 followers.
“The kindness I’ve experienced from strangers is absolutely amazing,” she said. “There’s some really good people out there. It’s just the one person who decided to keep a dog.”
Stanley has many distinguishing features, including a large cyst on his left eye, a back left paw with only three pads and a scar on his left shoulder from a cancer operation, Anslow said.
He’s been microchipped and Anslow is hoping those who have him will eventually take him for veterinary care, where he could possibly be scanned.
Anslow has gone on leave from work as she continues the desperate search for a dog she said is like family.
“We know dogs aren’t going to be with us our whole life,” she said. “The not knowing is the hardest part. I’ll never stop searching for him.”
