Emotional search continues for missing dog that fled attack on vehicle in Victoria

Victoria -

Rebecca Ellis' dashcam captures the last moments she spent with her dog.

She and her two dogs were sitting in their parked van on Pembroke Street in downtown Victoria waiting for her partner, Alex, to get off work on Friday night.

That's when Ellis heard screaming and saw a man approaching.

"I heard the vehicle behind me getting smashed," she told CTV News on Monday.

The man was on a rampage with a hammer, smashing car windows in the area. He would go on to smash the rear and side windows of Ellis' van.

"My driver's side window beside us got smashed out. So quickly, Camper (my dog) and I fled the vehicle," said Ellis.

Ellis and Camper ran in terror, but when they turned a corner and bumped into a Victoria police cruiser, Ellis stopped while Camper kept running.

Moments later, VicPD officers arrested the man, who is now facing recommended charges of mischief and assault with a weapon.

However, Camper is still missing, roughly 72 hours after the frightening encounter occurred.

"I'll do anything to get her back. She's my life," said owner Alex Painter. "We're just so worried about her right now. We've been searching the entire city."

The two-year-old female pit-terrier cross has been spotted in multiple places around Victoria, including Fairfield, the Ross Bay Cemetery, on Dallas Road, and near Beacon Hill Park.

Volunteer search groups say the dog's ability to move makes it hard to track down.

"It's a challenge because it's downtown and there a lot of traffic and that's always a concern," said Judy Carroll with ROAM (Reuniting Owners with animals Missing).

"She's not a slow dog so when she wants to go somewhere she's gone," Painter said.

Camper's owners continue to search for their missing pet, and say they're grateful for the help that they've received from the community.

"Complete strangers are taking time out of their day. Hours and hours, days and days," said owner Alex Painter.

"We're just hoping that she has food and that she's safe," said Ellis.

If you see Camper, you're asked to call ROAM at 778-977-6260 or 778-977-6265, or call the number on Camper's collar.