Good Samaritans lend a paw to shivering pup
REGINA A dog found shivering and alone in a Regina bus shelter on Wednesday afternoon was reunited with his owners thanks to a concerned passenger and a compassionate bus driver.
“He was just as scared as he was cold,” said Darren Szabo, the transportation service officer who waited with the dog until the Regina Humane Society (RHS) arrived.
After the dog was spotted by a passenger who called the RHS, the bus driver contacted dispatch which in turn called Szabo who headed to the bus shelter.
“I looked inside and sure enough there was the dog just shivering and shaking on the ground,” said Szabo, who used his own fleece jacket to try to keep the dog warm.
“I kind of threw it on him to begin with because he as a little bit growly at first. And then he kind of was like, OK, this person is here to help,” said Szabo.
After gaining some trust, he was able to tuck the jacket more tightly around the dog. RHS staff arrived about 10 minutes later.
The German shepherd mix was given the name Baclava until his true identity was discovered after his owners called in looking for him.
“It was not common for the dog to be missing, so they noticed he was missing fairly quickly and phoned us,” said Lindsay West, director of operations for the RHS.
Baclava was monitored for frostbite, but did not appear to be suffering from any cold-related injuries or illness and was sent home with his owners.
West said the RHS has experienced a slight increase in calls lately due to the extreme cold that’s gripped the province.
“If we get a call about an animal outside at an address that belongs to people, then animal protection officers will go out and have a look and speak with the owner,” said West.
She said sometimes there ends up being no real cause for concern, but reporting any situations where an animal may appear to be at risk is important.
“Animal protection officers will address those complaints and they’ll go out and make sure that everything ’s OK,” said West. “If you know an owner needs to be educated perhaps on when and how their animals should be left outside, then the officers will do that.”
She said animals will give you signs if they are too cold, including lifting up their paws and shivering.
In current temperatures, pets should generally only be let out to go to the bathroom and then brought back inside, said West.
Larger breed dogs with a good fur coat may be happy out for longer, but should always have access to shelter and be monitored closely by their owners.
“(Owners) need to understand that cats and dogs, they also suffer in the cold just as humans do,” she said. “They ’re subject to things like frostbite as well if they’re left outdoors for longer periods of time.”