Vancouver Island woman searching for missing dog who's trained to help with her diabetes
A Vancouver Island woman is desperately searching for her missing dog, who can help with her diabetes in an emergency.
Ciara Cownden has been living with diabetes for 19 years. "I have type 1 diabetes," she told CTV News. "I’ve had a couple of close calls before."
If Cownden’s blood sugar were to suddenly drop, she could be in big trouble, especially without her companion.
"So having that dog there to bring you what you need immediately, especially if you’re alone, it can be a life saver," she said.
Ciara Cownden is shown. (CTV News)
Cownden's dog, Daisy, has been trained to help by completing tasks like fetching her a juice box if her blood sugar levels suddenly drop. Cownden's dog has also been trained to bring her blood sugar monitoring device.
"When your blood sugar drops, your ability to think clearly isn’t there," said the dog owner.
In an emergency, the ten-month-old pup calms her down, preventing her from panicking. But now, Daisy is missing.
LAST SEEN DAYS AGO
While out for a walk on May 12 near Shawnigan Lake, Daisy slipped out of her GPS collar. Then, something startled her and she ran into the bushes.
The following day, Daisy was spotted on the other side of the lake, a good 20 kilometres away near the Village of Shawnigan Lake.
"She hasn’t been spotted in about three and half days now," said Cownden on Friday.
More than 200 posters have been put up around the area. Search parties have also gone out with no luck.
A missing poster is shown in the Shawnigan Lake area. (CTV News)On Friday, animal recovery group FLED launched a drone in the hopes that Daisy could be found.
"There's a bear we’ve found on the other side of the swamp here that’s been hanging around," said Gary Shade, co-owner of FLED.
Shade thinks the bear may have sent Daisy into the nearby hills.
"She’ll eventually come out," he said. "She may not find anymore rabbits to eat and she’ll work her way down."
"Someone will be walking and just stumble across her, but we just need that one sighting, that’s all it takes," he said.
Daisy is roughly 25 to 30 pounds. She's white with brown spots and has blue eyes.
If you happen to see Daisy, you are asked not to approach the pooch and instead call FLED at 250-479-0911 or 250-213-1420 with a description of the direction that the dog was travelling.
"Don’t try to chase her, she’ll run away because she’s too scared," said Cownden. "Normally she’s a very social dog with other dogs, people, with everybody. But at this point she’s too scared."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.