How an arthritic, 13-year-old dog was rescued 5 weeks after going missing
'I'm just happy it was a good ending'
With arthritis in both of her knees and a hobble when she walks, Sadie — a tiny 13-year-old papillon dog — managed to wander away from her North Rustico, P.E.I., home five weeks ago when a gust of wind blew open the front door.
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She would not take her eyes off me the whole time, so I actually fell in love with this little dog very quickly.— Krista Duguay
Sadie's owner, who asked to remain anonymous, had been tirelessly searching for her ever since, driving Island roads and highways, putting up flyers on community notice boards and even cancelling her annual winter trip to see family in Toronto — all in the hopes of finding Sadie.
But for five weeks, there was nothing.
That is, until Krista Duguay spotted a small black and white animal on the highway in Pleasant Valley last week.
'Her eyes had this determination'
She thought she'd spotted a skunk at first, thanks to the creature's wobbly walk and black and white markings, but at second glance she saw two bright eyes shining up at her and realized that it was actually a little dog.
A scared, confused and lost little dog that wandered over 20 kilometres away from its home in the middle of winter.
Duguay pulled her car to the side of the highway, corralled the small dog safely into a ditch, and tried to calm the wanderer down.
The dog was scared at first, but Duguay's gentle voice soon won her over.
"She looked a little distraught. Her hair was all matted. She was a little sad looking, but her eyes had this determination," Duguay said.
I just happened to catch her at the right time and I'm really glad that she looked up at me.— Krista Duguay
"She just had these beautiful, bright eyes that just said, 'Get me home.'"
Duguay decided to take the dog home with her, where food, water and warm blankets were waiting.
"She was lovely. She was very appreciative. You could tell her determination was just, 'Get me off this road, get me somewhere where it's warm, get me home,'" Duguay said.
"She would not take her eyes off me the whole time, so I actually fell in love with this little dog very quickly."
A family reunited
Duguay took pictures and a short video of the bedraggled little dog and put them on the PEI Lost Pet Network Facebook page — along with a story about how and where she had found the dog.
Within minutes, messages started popping up and before long the post had been shared more than 1,400 times.
Eventually Duguay received a message from the daughter of Sadie's owner, who recognized the pup right away.
After confirming that Sadie was indeed their dog, Duguay invited Sadie's owner to come pick her up.
The owner came from North Rustico that night with Sadie's bed clutched in her hands.
'I'm just happy it was a good ending'
"Sadie stared at her for a minute and then all of a sudden she started making these whimpers like, 'Mum's here!'" Duguay said.
"To see how the way she reacted to the situation and how much she loved her little dog it definitely pulled on the old heartstrings. I'm just happy it was a good ending. Sadie's owner was very grateful to have her baby home."
The dog has since had a warm bath, a hair trim and even got a clean bill of health from the veterinarian.
Sadie's owner said she's grateful Duguay stopped her car that night to help a lost dog.
"I just happened to catch her at the right time and I'm really glad that she looked up at me. Sometimes you think, would you stop in a situation like this? It didn't cross my mind not to stop," she said.
"It's so nice to know that she is well loved, that she is in a wonderful spot and she's such a happy little dog and her eyes … They're just smiling. I'm really pleased that she's home."
