Tucker, Japanese shiba

Kayakers find stranded dog lost for 11 days
By Caitlin Dowling, North Shore News
December 26, 2010

A dog feared dead after 11 days away from home has been reunited with its grateful owners.

The Vanderkooy family has always known their beloved dog was a bit of a roamer. Japanese shiba Tucker, their pet for nine years, was always running off and getting into scrapes. But when Tucker went missing from the backyard on Sunday, Nov. 28, and the usual calls from neighbours to say he'd been found were not made, Cathy Vanderkooy began to fear the worst.

"We thought coyotes may have gotten him," said Vanderkooy. "He is a Houdini . . . an escape artist. We just figured this was his last escape."

After a week of waiting to hear about the dog's whereabouts, Vanderkooy called her daughter who is studying in France to impart the bad news, and the family prepared a funeral for their pet.

But on Thursday, Dec. 9, two men were kayaking through Lynn Creek when they heard barking. James Mole and friend Keith Klapstein slowed down to investigate. They looked up to see the dog up on a bluff in a bad state.

Mole said the point where the dog was standing was virtually inaccessible to people and that they were lucky to have heard the dog over the sound of the rushing water. Mole noted it was an odd place to hear a dog bark, which caught their attention.

"My best guess is he went into the park, and ended up swimming in the river," he said.

Mole said it was likely that the dog then got swept up in the rapids and taken down the creek. If they had not found the dog that day, he didn't know when people would kayak the creek next.

Mole went up to fetch Tucker to safety, and had to calm the frightened dog for 10 minutes before they could proceed.

"He was a shadow of his former self," said Vanderkooy. "It was obvious he hadn't eaten for many, many days, and all he would have drunk was rainwater."

They took Tucker back to Klapstein's home, and called the Vanderkooy's home to let them know he was found.

Vanderkooy's son Christopher, 16, ran there straight away to collect his dog. At home, he hid behind a door with Tucker, to surprise his mom when she arrived.

"I slowly walked up and when I realized it I fell to my knees," said Vanderkooy.

When she called one of the kayakers to thank them for their kindness, Vanderkooy found out that it was a case of right place, right time.

The kayakers were both rescue specialists with the Canadian Coast Guard who just happened to find the dog while off-duty. As a happy coincidence they were fully trained for this rescue.

After 11 days of being out in the wilderness alone, during one of Vancouver's wettest weather snaps, Tucker is now back at home, seemingly unaffected by the rollercoaster of events.

"He was very low in spirit, very weak and wobbly for the first couple of days," said Vanderkooy, adding that he has since returned to his old happy self, playing in the back yard with the family.

"I just have to shake my head and say, 'This dog! How many lives does he have?'"

Source: http://www.nsnews.com/life/story.html?id=4026145
Printer-friendly version here