A portion of Pelmewash Parkway was closed in Lake Country Wednesday night while fire crews and RCMP aided in the rescue of an escaped eight-month-old pup.
Winnie was enjoying a run with his bike-riding owner, Keegan Woods, when he got spooked on Old Mission Road.
“He loves to chase me when I’m riding my bike,” Woods said.
Woods said Winnie, a miniature Australian Shepherd, ran away when the pair encountered a German Shepherd on the trail.
“The German Shepherd was only chasing him for five seconds and came right back,” Woods said, noting both dogs were off-leash. “Winnie never goes too far.”
Woods retraced his steps in the direction Winnie bolted, but couldn’t find him. He bumped into a friend along the way who agreed to help. After searching the trail for around an hour to no avail. That’s when his friend suggested she check Pelmewash Parkway.
“Fifteen minutes later, I got a call from her,” Woods said. “She said, ‘I can see him, he’s safe, but there’s a bit of a scene going on.'”
Woods raced back to his truck, tossed his bike and the back and headed to his friend’s location.
“I could just see lights flashing,” he said.
An RCMP cruiser had its lights on and a spotlight on Winnie up on a cliff.
The RCMP called the Lake Country Fire Department for backup to assist with the ladder truck.
“The result of everyone’s efforts was a successful reuniting of the pup with his family,” the District of Lake Country shared in a social media post.
Woods said Winnie was very excited to see him.
“We were pretty worried about it,” Woods said. “It just takes a second.”
Now, Woods is looking into purchasing a GPS tracker for Winnie, who he’s had since he was only eight weeks old.
“They’re a fairly reasonable price.”
Owner Kennedy Niles offered her thanks to everyone involved in the rescue mission.
Area residents shared their delight in the happy ending to a scary story.
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