Dog missing for 5 weeks found on Vancouver Island
After more than a month of searching on Vancouver Island, a beloved dog that's trained to help its owner with her diabetes was located safe.
Daisy the Australian shepherd was found on Friday on a floating dock in Mill Bay, B.C.
The dog had been missing since May 12 after she went on a walk with her owner, Ciara Cownden, around Shawnigan Lake.
During the walk, Daisy managed to slip out of her GPS collar at the same time that something startled her, causing her to run into the woods.
The animal recovery group FLED helped search for the dog, with scattered reports of Daisy being sighted in the area.
On Friday, Daisy was found on the dock and was brought to a veterinarian. The dog spent the night in vet care and had lost about eight pounds, but is otherwise fine.
"[Searchers] just moved into the area, they were looking out on the dock there that was floating, and it was Daisy," said Gary Shade, co-founder of FLED.
"She'd fallen asleep," he told CTV News. "They figured the tide had come in and picked the dock up and was taking it out."
A volunteer who was nearby dove into the water and swam to the dock to retrieve Daisy.
"Once she saw Ciara, the owner, she just went all over, just ballistic," said Shade. "Just happy."
Ciara Cownden is shown. (CTV News)
Cownden has Type 1 diabetes and Daisy has been trained to help with tasks in case of an emergency, such as getting Cownden her blood sugar monitoring device, or retrieving a juice box if her blood sugar levels suddenly drop.
Daisy also helps with preventing her owner from panicking.
FLED says the search for Daisy was one of the hardest ones the group has worked on, since there were few reported sightings over the five weeks she had been missing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Here's how much more Canadian landlords are asking for now, according to a just-released report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
What is basic income, and how would it impact me?
Parliamentarians are considering a pair of bills aiming to lift people out of poverty through a basic income program, but some fear these types of systems could result in more taxes for Canadians who are already financially struggling.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Out-of-control wildfire burning near Fort McMurray
As of 9 a.m. on Friday, the wildfire burning 28 kilometres southwest of the northeastern Alberta city was 25 hectares in size.
Mexico's president accuses press and volunteer searchers for missing people of 'necrophilia'
The administration of Mexico's president has accused the press and volunteer searchers who look for the bodies of missing people of 'necrophilia,' comments that drew criticism this week.