A second unlikely reunion for two dogs from Fort McMurray
Two dogs from Fort McMurray were miraculously reunited in Edmonton; now their owner has also been located
It's a happily-ever-after ending for two dogs separated from each other, and from their owner, during the Fort McMurray evacuation.
The pups miraculously found each other in Edmonton earlier this month, and will soon be reunited with their owner.
CBC first reported the story of a black-and-white spaniel cross two weeks ago. The scared dog arrived in Edmonton on May 10 in the middle of the night, after a six-hour journey from Fort McMurray on a truck loaded with dozens of other pets.
Pooch perks up
The dog was a sad sight when she arrived, veterinarian Karen Allen said.
"My patient wouldn't lift her head up off the floor, she was so depressed," Allen said.
"She had a fever, she had diarrhea, lots of stuff going on. She wouldn't eat or drink when she came in."
Allen brought the dog to the medical area in a warehouse set up for rescued animals. With no name, the dog became D-50, but staff called her Sweet Pea.
It's a gentleman who's not on social media, so that's why it's taken us longer to find him. As soon as he gets back in his house and gets set up, he will be reunited with them.- Karen Allen, veterinarian
Despite receiving fluids and antibiotics, the dog wasn't getting any better, and Allen couldn't figure out why.
Allen took her for a walk through the warehouse, past another, strikingly similar dog.
That dog "went wild," she said.
"The volunteer who was grooming the little black dog sort of stopped me and said, 'You know, this dog hasn't reacted to any other dog this whole time. They must know each other,' " Allen said.
Staff soon determined that both dogs were from the same home in Fort McMurray, and had somehow been split up during the evacuation.
But staff couldn't find their owner.
Owner found after story goes viral
The dogs were sent to a foster home in Calgary, Allen said, where they've been enjoying playing and lounging on the deck.
Allen said she recently got a call from the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society, who said they had located the dogs' owner.
She doesn't know much about him or how he heard about his dogs.
"It's a gentleman who's not on social media, so that's why it's taken us longer to find him," Allen said. "As soon as he gets back in his house and gets set up, he will be reunited with them."
Allen said she isn't sure when the dogs will go home, but staff and volunteers who cared for them are grateful for the happy ending.
"There's lot of people that want to adopt them, but the point is to get them back with their owner," Allen said. "So it's just an even happier ending to their story."