Red Deer family bereft after loss of dog Hope

Paige Thompson got a puppy for her autistic son and quickly saw a noticeable change in him.

The responsibility of caring for a living being gave 11- year- old Brendan a new- found confidence and helped him with his nervousness, she said.

But on Tuesday afternoon, the Red Deer family’s world came crashing down after Hope, a sixmonth-old Blue Heeler- lab cross, was reportedly stolen from their backyard in the Michener Hill neighbourhood.

“My son just cries all the time,” Thompson said, adding they have been constantly searching for their beloved pup since she disappeared. “She is part of the family.” Thompson said Hope was on a leash in the yard and left alone for only 10 minutes while the family was inside the home. When they went out to fetch her at around 4 p. m., she was gone. Her leash was undamaged and left on the property.

“It makes no sense that she just vanished,” Thompson said, adding she didn’t see anyone or anything suspicious before or after Hope’s disappearance.

She said Hope can’t remove the leash on her own. The dog would have also been difficult to carry, weighing in at around 50 pounds, and the culprits would have had to drag her by the collar.

“I just don’t get how somebody could get away with her. She would have barked,” she added. “I wish I had a canine dog to sniff her out.”

RCMP say Hope is microchipped and wears a collar and tag with her name and her owner’s phone number.

Hope is described as black and white with grey on her face, and a white tail that looks like it’s been dipped in paint. She will come when her name is called.

Thompson said she’s put up missing dog posters around the neighbourhood and also posted notices on Facebook and Kijiji.

She is offering a $ 100 reward for information leading to the return of Hope, and urges anyone who has information about the dog’s whereabouts to contact police.