British Columbia

Dog Sula missing after owner passes out, hands it to Good Samaritan

B.C. woman Brenda Turner is looking for her Shih Tzu/Maltese dog Sula after handing it to a bystander for safekeeping before blacking out and going to the hospital.

B.C. woman Brenda Turner has been searching frantically for her lost dog since leaving hospital

Sula was found Friday by a Ladner couple who said she'd wandered into their yard May 29. (helpinglostpets.com)

A B.C. woman is looking for her dog after handing it to a bystander for safekeeping before blacking out and going to the hospital. 

The dog, Sula, is a 13-year-old female Shih Tzu/Maltese mix that weighs approximately 18 to 20 pounds.

Owner Brenda Turner had just dropped her boyfriend off at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal on May 26, when she decided to take Sula for a walk at the beach there. 

Suddenly, she felt her heart racing, her temperature rise and her vision blur. 

"It was progressing so quickly and my vision was going and I remember thinking, if I pass out, what's going to happen to Sula?" said Turner.

She screamed for help. When no one came, she walked onto the causeway to try to stop one of the cars coming off the ferry. 

Finally, a vehicle stopped and opened its passenger door.

"The woman took Sula and said, 'I'll contact the SPCA,' and that's all I remember," said Turner. 

Because Turner had lost her vision and was in distress, she doesn't remember what the woman looked like. 

"I assumed if somebody took Sula she would be in safekeeping," she said.  

Dog nowhere to be seen

Brenda Turner launched a social media publicity campaign during her frantic search for Sula. (Brady Strachan / CBC)
Turner regained consciousness at Surrey Memorial Hospital four days later. 

She found out she had experienced a sudden spike in her blood sugar levels, probably due to some new medication she was taking.

Since she left hospital, Turner has been frantically looking for her dog, phoning every SPCA and animal shelter across the province, to no avail.

After posting her story on social media, she said she's been contacted by thousands of people across the country via email, phone and social media — but there's still no sign of her beloved dog.

Still, she's still hopeful she will find Sula.

"It's very humbling that that many people are interested in rescuing an animal and reuniting a family," she said.

Anyone who has found Sula can take her to the Delta Animal Shelter or contact Brenda Turner through Helping Lost Pets at 647-955-8439.