'I was so excited': Dog reunited with family 7 days after falling from cliff on Vancouver Island
A beloved pet that went missing in the Highlands area of Vancouver Island was found seven days later by an army of volunteers.
The mastiff-retriever cross, named Luna, was found desperately clinging to a narrow ledge on a cliff, and was reunited with her owner after a heroic rescue last month.
It's believed that Luna had chased an animal out of her yard and got lost, somehow falling off a cliff and landing on a two-foot wide ledge. She remained there, alone, as her owner and searchers frantically looked for her.
"It was terrible because it was getting colder and she always sleeps next to me or my daughter," said Saryta Schaerer, Luna's owner.
After she'd been missing for several days, there was a break in the case from the other side of Finlayson Arm.
Across the water, Ron Cheeke had heard Luna's cries for help.
Ron Cheeke is pictured. (CTV News)Cheeke decided to record the sound and notify the pet rescue group ROAM. He even went so far as to search the area on boat to try to locate the exact source of the sound.
"I used a pot and pan, and every time I banged on the pot and pan the dog barked back," Cheeke told CTV News on Monday.
Eventually, after searching on both water and land, a team found the scared dog and used a harness to pull her back to safety and to her owner.
"I almost fell over when I saw her, it was quite exciting," said Schaerer.
"I was so excited, she was too," said the dog owner. "Her butt was wiggling from left to right."
Cheeke says his own dog had died recently and he was motivated to help.
"I lost my dog last year, so it was good," said an emotional Cheeke.
"It's good to see it back with its owners," he said.
ROAM volunteer Andy Carswell says seeing the reunion was thanks enough for all of the days spent searching.
"There's no feeling like it. When you're involved with this and you get the owner back with the pet, it's worth all the money in the world," he said.
Carswell also has a message for other pet owners if their animal goes missing.
"Your dog's out there, it's just a matter of time until we get her," he said.
"Sometimes they come back in an hour, sometimes it's a day, sometimes its seven, like Luna," he said. "Just don't give up, have faith."
He added that Luna didn't give up while trapped alone in the cold for seven days, and that pet owners shouldn't give up on their animals as well.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.