A Sylvan Lake dog owner whose pet went missing at the end of August is heartbroken and “just wants her back.”
Lystra Southwell, a friend of dog owner Randy Toews, says her buddy is devastated after his dog went missing from the Sylvan Lake Walmart parking lot Aug. 29.
“Her picture has been shared thousands of times on Facebook within the small community, and someone would know something, or would have seen her or have some sort of lead, and there’s been absolutely nothing,” said Southwell.
“It’s like she just vanished.”
The two friends were shopping at Walmart while Minnie, Toews’s pet, was in his truck before going missing between 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.
When the two came out of the store, Toews realized Minnie was not in the truck, and started panicking, said Southwell.
She recalls it was a cool evening and Minnie, a bichon-shih tzu cross, was fine in the truck.
“She was in the cab of the truck, but his passenger door wasn’t locked,” she said.
Southwell quickly ran back into the store to see if there were security cameras that might help Toews. But the cameras do not cover the area of the parking lot where the truck was parked.
Posters of the missing dog have been circulating in the community and have been shared thousands of times on social media, Southwell said, adding she has also informed some of the animal adoption agencies, including animal services for the Town of Sylvan Lake.
But the owner has had no luck.
Southwell said she believes someone took Minnie, and she is hoping a $2,000 reward will entice them to bring her back.
“I don’t think somebody just came and let her out of the truck, because she would’ve been running around the parking lot, or someone would’ve seen her in the previous days, but there’s absolutely no sightings of her whatsoever,” she explained.
That part concerns Southwell.
“We are thinking if somebody was here just for the weekend, and took off, because Sylvan is a transient place in the summertime, because we have so many visitors here from all over.
“So I’m wondering if it’s somebody who doesn’t live here that has her.”
So far, the owner has not contacted the RCMP.
Whoever has the pet, Southwell just wants to let them know Minnie is loved and “he (Toews) just wants her back.”
She explained her friend is especially upset over the incident, because his previous dog was hit by a vehicle.
“So this is the second time he is going through all of this.”
Minnie is a small dog, tan in colour, with her face lighter than her ears, and was groomed not too long ago.
The dog was last seen with a pink collar and a tag that says “Frankie” and has the owner’s contact number on it.
If you know the dog’s whereabouts, call 403-352-5076.
mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com
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