Misadventures of Triggy
Big Baddeck’s most famous beagle has returned home
Who would think one small, unassuming 10-year-old beagle would cause so much of a ruckus in Big Baddeck this winter.
Certainly not his owners, Shauna and Keon MacDonald. Originally from the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, they moved their family to property near Uisge Ban Falls Provincial Park last June. They didn’t worry about letting Triggy outside off leash because he had always shown way more interest in people than prey.
However on Jan. 24, Triggy saw or smelled a rabbit and, well, those scent-hound genes kicked in, and he bolted from the property.
“I was out all night with a spotlight hollering to him,” said Shauna MacDonald.
The next 10 days were filled with way more searching than sleep, as she and her husband took turns staying up at night in case Triggy came to the door looking to get in. She also started sharing Facebook posts in order to get the word out that there was a dog missing in the woods.
“People kept telling me he was old and the river was high, but I kept seeing his tracks. People in the community even came out to look for him.”
She ran into two women who were out searching for Triggy after hearing about the missing dog during a stop at a local gas station.
Wayne Fitzgerald and his partner Stephanie Garland also spent time looking for Triggy one weekend after seeing the story on Facebook. Several mornings later Fitzgerald was on his way to work when a beagle climbed up to the road from the ditch.
According to Garland, it was so cold Fitzgerald could not get the window rolled down, so he opened the door and called to the dog, who jumped into the vehicle without a moment’s hesitation.
“Wayne called me from work and said, ‘Stephanie, Guess what? … I found the dog.’”
Triggy looked like he had lost quite a bit of weight, but otherwise was no worse for wear, so Fitzgerald took him to work along with a blanket and some food and water.
The next problem was how to contact the owners, but Garland went through Facebook and tracked down the MacDonalds.
By the time it was Feb. 3 and Shauna MacDonald says it was “really hitting hard” that Triggy had been gone a long time.
“I happened to click on a woman’s comment and it said, ‘Your dog has been found.’ I was crying as it was. Then I called her and I was crying on the phone.”
Fitzgerald was able to reunite
Shauna with Triggy in Baddeck later that morning. “I was crying all over him.” According to Fitzgerald, when Triggy saw Shauna he started howling and did not stop for some time. In fact, if it wasn’t for the package of hotdogs she brought, he might not have stopped at all.
“I saved those hotdogs for him all that time. I just knew he would get them.”
There is no reason to sit around the house just because it’s winter in Cape Breton.
Victoria County’s seventh annual Winter Activefest began Feb. 9 and continues until March 18. It features
guided hikes, yoga, tai chi, suppers and ceilidhs.
Hello Winter in Baddeck incorporates Heritage Day on Monday with pond hockey, ice fishing, archery, coasting and almost 20 other fun things to do that day. Most of the Heritage Day events are free with a donation to the local food bank and there will be hot chocolate and snacks available at the community centre.
For more information and the full schedule go to naturallyactivevictoriacounty.com.