Cancer claims Kamloops rescue dog
A rescue dog with a Kamloops search-and-rescue team has died after a battle with cancer.
Ruby, a two-year-old Yellow Lab who volunteered with Kamloops Search and Rescue, died on May 6 after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer last month. Her owner, Mike Ritcey, had noticed a lump on the dog’s side and took her to the vet to be examined.
“He was a little puzzled and took some tests, did some research and it turned out she only had, I think, two to three weeks left,” said KSAR manager Alan Hobler by phone. “Very sad.”
At the time of Ruby’s death, KSAR had been actively searching for fire chief Clayton Cassidy when he disappeared after checking flood water levels in Cache Creek on May 5.
Hobler said Ritcey has been volunteering with KSAR for more than three decades.
“He’s always had a dog so usually he starts training a dog before he has to retire one,” said Hobler, noting that Ritcey’s other dog, Juno, is set to retire next month.
“He’s really humble about it. He doesn’t like to boast, but definitely, Mike is one of our most dedicated, if not our most dedicated, and definitely our longest-serving volunteer on the team.”
Search-and-rescue dogs must undergo about two years of training and tests with the RCMP before they’re validated to work with SAR groups. Ruby had just been validated in the fall of 2016.
“It’s pretty amazing. Those dogs are dedicated to the task. All of us search-andrescue volunteers — it’s a hobby that we do, but for the dogs, it’s their life from the time they’re a puppy,” said Hobler.
Hobler said Ritcey is now searching for a new puppy or an already trained search dog who might be needing a new owner.