A Port Alberni couple has been reunited with their lost dog after commuting to Parksville for nearly two weeks of daily searching.
Kathy Taylor Culina said she discovered her dog, Buddy, ran away from a caregiver in Parksville when she called to check in on him.
She and her husband, Tony, made about 18 trips to the area to look for their lost pet. Tony said they decided to drive down Butler Avenue one last time before heading home and that is when the couple spotted him running out of some bushes.
“We stopped, my husband opened up the door and all of a sudden in comes Buddy crying and screaming because he was so happy,” said Kathy.
The Culinas placed five dog crates with food and familiar items from the house in the forested area near Butler Avenue and Corfield Street, hoping to lure Buddy back. They also placed a crate close to Brigadoon Golf Course.
Around 200 posters were placed in the area and the two sometimes made more than one trip in a day to search. Kathy said they are very grateful to the community for helping them search for the almost five-year-old Boston terrier/bulldog mix.
She even enlisted the help of two psychic mediums, who Kathy said helped narrow down the area of their search. The mediums, one in Port Alberni and the other in Alberta, also provided the couple with updates on how Buddy was doing, she said.
“They had similar things to say, so you knew there was a connection somewhere,” said Kathy, who admitted she was skeptical. When the mediums told them about a street or area the dog recently visited, they would place food there for him.
When they found Buddy, Kathy said he had a relatively large gash on his ankle, which luckily was not bleeding or infected.
“He’s pretty darn skinny, so we’re feeding him small meals right now and lots of them,” she said. “He was tired the first day — he’s still a happy go lucky guy and so happy to be home.”
