‘He didn’t give up’: N.S. dog missing for six months following crash reunites with owner

A Nova Scotia man has been reunited with his dog who had been missing for six months – following a serious crash in New Brunswick.

A Nova Scotia man has been reunited with his dog who had been missing for six months following a serious crash last summer.

Mathew Osborne is a truck driver, and his dog would keep him company while on the road. The two had been travelling through Saint-Louis de Kent, N.B., on Aug. 12 when the crash happened.

“I basically tried to turn right because I knew the truck went left, so I turned right to get back on the highway, and by that time I hit the brakes and the truck went airborne,” he said.

Because of how badly the truck was damaged, he said it’s not clear what exactly caused it, though it’s believed a tire may have blown. Osborne said he was knocked unconscious before the wreck.

“When I woke up, I didn’t think it was that bad. I found my phone and called 911, and I was on the phone with them for 20 minutes or so and that’s when I saw the lights coming,” he said.

He said emergency crews had to use the jaws of life to get him out of the truck. Somehow, both he and his dog survived, but in the chaos Harley got away.

“Poor boy,” Osborne said. “He went through the windshield.”

‘He didn’t give up’

Osborne was in hospital for weeks following the crash, while Harley was out in the wild.

“It’s been a long road. For the first few weeks, I couldn’t even move from the injuries in hospital. I went from that to a wheelchair, then to a walker, then to a cane,” he said. At first, he was in hospital in New Brunswick before getting moved to a hospital closer to home in Nova Scotia.

He had a serious leg injury — one that almost required his foot being amputated. His sternum was also broken, as was his orbital bone, which required a plate to be put in his face. Osborne said he’s still dealing with the impacts and will have more surgeries ahead.

During his recovery, his mom and dad were by his side supporting him.

“I had two great parents taking care of me and looking after trying to get my dog,” he said.

As summer turned to fall and then winter set in, Harley was still out there.

“They had nights up there it was in the minus 30s and very cold, but he didn’t give up and neither did we,” said Osborne.

Reunited after six months

In the months that Harley was missing, the Osborne family stayed in touch with people in the Saint-Louis de Kent area in hopes of finding him.

There were sightings of the dog from time to time, and even a few instances where he was almost rescued. Exactly six months to the day of the crash, on Feb. 12, Harley was finally found by a local trapper in the area.

“The relief. The worry of it all being over. The stress just dropped,” Osborne said.

Osborne learned his dog had been found the following morning, which happened to be Friday the 13th.

“I can’t say it’s ever bad luck,” he said.

He and his dad hopped in the car and drove straight to pick up Harley. The dog was then taken to the vet and essentially got a clean bill of health.

Osborne said he is beyond grateful to have his best friend home and appreciates the effort of so many people.

“A big thanks to everybody that helped, all the people that were trying to help with catching Harley. The community for such support in a bad time, and the firefighters, the ambulance, everybody that helped for me to survive,” he said.

Osborne said Harley is also happy to be home and has been staying close to him ever since.

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