PORT ALBERNI -- Shannon Boothman of Tofino is ecstatic to have her beloved 5-year-old dog, Itska, back in her care after a bizarre chain of events led to the dog's disappearance.

She was reunited with Itska Sunday in Port Alberni after more than two months of searching and never giving up hope.

“A mother doesn’t give up on her child,” says Boothman. “I knew I would eventually find him, even if it took me forever.”

Itska went missing on Nov. 2, 2019 when Boothman had Itska off-leash on Tonquin Beach in Tofino. She lost sight of him when he ended up following a group of tourists who were on the beach.

Boothman says the tourists reported the dog missing to the local RCMP detachment in Tofino, but when police couldn’t locate the dog’s owner, she claims the RCMP gave the dog to the tourists.

At the time, the Tofino RCMP said that they did not give the dog to anyone.

“I was livid,” says Boothman. Not knowing where Itska could be, she immediately called ROAM and FLED, which are local pet search groups, and veterinarians across the province. She also took to social media to try to find him.

Then, on Christmas Eve, she finally got the tip she needed from an anonymous person who called her and said that he heard a story of a man living in Oak Bay who rescued a dog in Tofino a couple of months ago.

“My dog was the only dog that had been missing in Tofino,” says Boothman.

She says she contacted Oak Bay Police to investigate the tip, but that police were unable to help with the situation.

Not giving up hope, Boothman then located the new owners on Facebook and began messaging their friends.

The next morning, Boothman got a phone call from a man that had Itska who asked, “Do you still want your dog back?”

The man agreed to drive to Port Alberni to deliver the dog to Boothman on Sunday, if she agreed not to pursue legal action, which she did.

She says the man also told her that he knew that she was looking for him. “I think in the end he realized I’m not stopping and I was prepared to get a lawyer,” Boothman says.

When the man dropped Itska off on Sunday, she said he was well taken care of but that his wellbeing didn't give the new owners a right to keep him.

“Then, all of a sudden, [Itska] looks at me and the guy lets go of his leash and he ran up to me and gave me a big hug,” says Boothman of their reunion.

She says the first thing she is going to do is get a microchip put in Itska so that she doesn’t lose him again.