Atlas, the missing golden retriever that captured the hearts of people across the Okanagan, is home safe and sound.
Ian and Taylor Galt credit the reunion to the RCMP. They had been contacted by someone over text message demanding the $5,000 reward they’d posted and RCMP helped reunite the one-and-a-half-year-old pup with his family.
There’s never been a clearer display of how much love a dog can have for its owner than this video of Taylor and Atlas being reunited. It was posted to Taylor’s Facebook account Wednesday night.
Taylor also used the platform to say thanks to the thousands of people who shared a post about Atlas’ disappearance more than 200,000 times.
“There were three people who were instrumental in recovery of Atlas who will be getting the reward. Without their help, and the Kelowna police, I’m not sure when we would get Atlas back home,” he wrote.
“I hope this brings light to how amazing the social media world can be to spread light on something that needs exposure. Being reunited with Atlas is the best feeling ever.”
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Ian said he thinks the person sending him text messages was a co-worker of the woman who stole Atlas and was holding onto him in Penticton.
“It’s unbelievable. We were just at the end our our rope, every day getting inundated with texts messages saying, ‘Come on, Where’s the money?'”
Atlas was lured from his yard and into a dark-coloured SUV on March 9. The retriever was in Ian Galt’s gated backyard while Atlas’ owner, his son Taylor, was out of town for work.
“Over the past few days, Kelowna RCMP have received numerous tips from the public and continued to follow up on a number of potential leads,” said Const. Lesley Smith. “While working closely with the complainant, our members were able to track down Atlas’ location.”
Finding the dog was the RCMP’s first priority. The investigation continues.
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