NORTH SAANICH -- A deeply missed female Pomeranian-cross dog has vanished in North Saanich and her owner is devastated.
The dog, Bailey, and her owner had just returned from a walk at about 2 p.m. on March 27. When her owner took off her leash, the 11-pound pooch decided she would explore the backyard of the rural property.
“Her owner left her outside while she ran in for not even five minutes and when she came out the dog was gone,” said Find Lost and Escaped Dogs (F.L.E.D.) co-founder Gary Shad. “She looked all over the place, panicked.”
The last time 11-year-old Bailey was seen was by a children’s play area. Seeing that her dog had disappeared, the playful and energetic dog’s owner searched the neighbourhood frantically. Her owner enlisted the help of friends and family as they looked down roads and driveways of the Saanich Peninsula community. But there was no sign of Bailey.
She then contacted F.L.E.D. with a plea to help find her dog.
“We came out here with posters and our sign boards and started putting them up,” said Shad. “We were talking to everybody and nobody had seen anything.”
Volunteers from the animal search agency fanned out, walking down roads and searching in backyards for the little dog – but she couldn’t be found.
Bailey’s owner eventually enlisted the help of a “dog tracker” who was able to locate the Pomeranian’s scent, but unfortunately the track ended without the dog being found.
“We’ll keep coming out and we’ll spend the time driving looking and talking to people,” said Shad. “That’s all you can do until you get a sighting.”
The dog’s owner told searchers that Bailey was not in the habit of wandering too far and preferred to stay close to her owner. What baffles her owner and searchers alike is how she was able to disappear without leaving a trace.
“It has happened before, people see a dog just walking and they think the owner doesn’t care for it,” said Shad. “They’ll just pick it up and take it, figuring they can give it a better home.”
Bailey’s owner and search volunteers are asking people to look in their backyards and outside their homes for the beloved pooch. If you see Bailey, you are asked to call F.L.E.D at 250-479-0911 or by email at emailinfo@fledserch.ca[.]
