Red Deer is rallying around Happy, “the scrappy street dog.”
The adopted rescue pooch that escaped Aug. 31 from a home in the Bower neighbourhood turned up with serious injuries on Michener Hill Oct. 18 after leading his owner, Emmy Stuebing, and her supporters on a frantic six-week search all over Red Deer.
The dog was M.I.A., save for quick sightings that only raised Stuebing’s hopes, to have them dashed again when Happy took off and couldn’t be caught.
The small white escape artist was finally was found cowering under a shed on Michener Hill last week by a dog walker, whose pet had sniffed out the fellow canine.
Stuebing, who’d recently moved to Edmonton, raced back to Red Deer, ecstatic her beloved dog was finally in safe hands.
“I’ll never forget the moment I was reunited with Happy. He was in terrible condition, but I could tell that he knew me — he kept trying to bury his head into me and just snuggled and snuggled. It was wonderful,” she recalled.
A veterinarian believes Happy had been hit by a car, since he had a fractured pelvis, broken femur, and other injuries.
“It’s amazing he could still move and run. The vet said it’s because Happy is a scrappy street dog that he is still alive,” she added. The pooch has since undergone extensive surgeries.
Stuebing adopted the rescue pup from San Bernardino, Calif., last fall during a difficult time in her own life. She was then living in Victoria, B.C., going through a divorce, getting over the death of a previous dog, as well as a home burglary.
Happy was a survivor who “immediately adopted me and became by constant companion,” said the woman, who grew up in Red Deer.
In August, while moving to Edmonton, Stuebing briefly stopped in her hometown with Happy to see her parents (her dad is public school trustee Bill Stuebing). It was in this unfamiliar environment that her dog became scared and bolted.
Posts about his disappearance were shared “thousands of times,” said Stuebing. “Hundreds of people were watching and looking out for him” including businesses that carried missing dog posters and others who spread the word.
She believes many of the same people are now coming to Happy’s rescue again. The public contributed more than $6,000 in the first 24-hours towards Happy’s vet bills (which are expected to top $10,000) through a GoFundMe campaign.
“Happy will have a long recovery ahead, but he’s going to be OK,” said Stuebing. “I don’t know how to express my appreciation for all the amazing love (and support) … The Red Deer community has helped save Happy.”
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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