Woman wowed over Newfoundland town’s help finding her lost dog
A dog who spent more than two weeks on the lam after escaping a groomer’s appointment and seemed to have an entire small Newfoundland town in on the search, has been reunited with her owner.
“The thing is (in) a little small town like Garnish, everybody knows everything,” said Dave Grandy, whose 14-yearold son Ryker Dean caught the dog Sunday night.
“This is the biggest thing to hit Garnish in a long time, this little missing dog.”
For owner Rose Hamilton, the generosity and caring of people was astounding. The retired hospital clerk had newly moved from Ontario to a house she bought in Grand Bank.
Chloe was supposed to be groomed in Garnish but escaped before she got to the appointment Aug. 7.
“People were absolutely wonderful, adding it to their Facebook pages,” said Hamilton. “I just basically moved here now and I know more people in Garnish … the community were absolutely so supportive, just wonderful.”
“It seemed like the whole town was watching for sightings. The dog is very elusive … just ran from everybody,” said Grandy, whose son is visiting him from Ontario.
Hamilton had fostered Chloe when she was rescued after being chased by coyotes north of North Bay, Ont., and eventually adopted the now 12-year-old clumber spaniel.
She’d also gone missing in Ontario, when workmen left the door of Hamilton’s Selkirk house open but had eventually been lured into a trap – or live cage — with steaks.
Hamilton said Chloe on that occasion had cleverly chosen a field to hide out in where she could see every direction.
“She knows how to do this better than a human does,” she said.
Hamilton, who decided to move to Newfoundland and Labrador after seeing friends’ Facebook postings of life in rural N.L., was on the way to the groomers with Chloe and another dog when Chloe slipped out of her friends’ arms.
When she put up missing posters, she said the people of Garnish were contacting her with sightings.
“Somebody saw her, I got a message,” Hamilton said, adding there was lots of worry expressed about Chloe’s fate after being gone so long.
“I know my dog. I said, ‘She’s out there,’” Hamilton said.
“People were putting out food for her and everything. I don’t even know how to thank the community enough.”
She’d driven over to Garnish twice a day in the quest to find Chloe.
Hamilton, who has had Chloe for about six years, picked her up Sunday night and planned to give Ryker a reward for his effort. She’s also had her property fenced.
“She’s not escaping anymore,” she said.
Grandy said he’d left some wieners on a trail to try to lure Chloe out. He also carried a can of cat food in his van borrowed from a family cat.
Although Chloe wasn’t interested in it at first, when she was safely in the van, she lapped it up.
Sunday night they spotted Chloe on the road and Ryker chased her, plucking her from a little ravine.
“We contacted Rose right away that we got her,” Grandy said, adding Ryker got nipped a bit by the scared dog but was proud to rescue Chloe.
“He’s a bit of a local hero…. I’m taking the assist for driving the getaway car.”
When reunited with Hamilton, Chloe was as calm as can be, Grandy said.
“It was good to see the dog comfortable. Rose picked her up in her arms the same as if she was never lost, except the smell coming off her and the dirt on her fur.”