A dog that was thrown out of a car as homes were being evacuated along Westside Road due to the White Rock Lake wildfire was adopted by Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) on Friday (Aug. 6).
COSAR said members had gone to a home in La Casa to inform the homeowner the property was located in the area of an evacuation order.
READ MORE: Nearly 1,000 Westside Road properties under evacuation as White Rock Lake wildfire rages
“As the team continued through the neighbourhood they noticed the man leaving in his vehicle, only to stop 100 yards up the road and throw an older dog from his vehicle before continuing out of the resort and south down Westside Road,” said COSAR.
The team then brought the dog — an older female mixed breed with no collar or tattoo — back to their command base, where they gave her food and water. She was later named Smokey and was brought home to a member’s house, who plans on handing her over to Dr. Moshe Oz at Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital.
“Dr. Oz’s been great during the evacuations. He’s always willing to go above and beyond to help people out,” said COSAR search manager Duane Tresnich.
“It’s my understanding that after Dr. Oz checks Smokey over, a suitable home will be found. I know these are incredibly stressful times, but what happened is unacceptable.”
An evacuation order remains in place for approximately 2,127 properties from the northern Regional District of Central Okanagan boundary to the south end of Ewings Landing.
READ MORE: Westside Road evacuees granted window to retrieve essential items
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