1. IZZY THE CAT: You see her all the time in the 300 and 400 block of Baker St.: a 14-year-old streetwise cat who loves life downtown.
“Izzy rules the roost,” said Noreen Lynas of Cotton Creek Clothing, where Izzy eats and sleeps. “I’ve seen her jump in the back of a delivery truck, climb into a kayak on the top of a car, and even jump on the rumble seat of one of the cars at the Road Kings parade. She’s a character.”
Izzy was rescued years ago on Highway 6 north of Slocan Park by retired RCMP officer Tony Holland, but she didn’t care for the noise of renovations at his house, so sought out a new home. She’s since become a Baker St. fixture.
2. EXIE THE RESCUE DOG: Not only does Exie, a purebred German shepherd, hold a Whitewater season’s pass, but she and handler Lindsay Eastwood were certified this year by the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association.
Together Eastwood and Exie are the only avalanche rescue dog team in West Kootenay and members of Nelson Search and Rescue. Exie is trained to associate live human scent with her favourite game — tug-of-war.
She uses her nose to find human scent, follows it to where it’s coming out of the snow, and digs to pursue the scent to its source.
3. BORIS THE BOXER: Poor Boris. The 12-year-old lab boxer mix spent 18 days in the Similkameen wilderness after getting spooked and darting into the woods during a 4×4 trip.
His owner, Logan Lynn, did everything he could to find him, postering the area, spreading the word on social media, and following up on leads, but with no luck.
Finally on Thanksgiving, Lynn arrived at Wells Lake by ATV and called Boris’ name — and noticed something moving. Dog and master were reunited and a skinny but otherwise healthy Boris rode back on Lynn’s lap.
