A small black dog, who belongs to a family in Burns Lake, has been running around Prince George evading capture from a group of local volunteers devoted to his safe return.
Wally, a black shit-zu lab cross, has been lost for two weeks after escaping out of his family’s truck when they stopped at Pine Centre Mall on their way back home from a trip to Edmonton.
“My parents truck, they have a cracked window in the back and it’s just tapped up, and he got out of the vehicle,” says 17-year-old Shawntee Lagimodiere, who's family owns Wally.
“Five minutes after he crawled out, people were seeing him run around and my parents came out and he was gone.”
A Facebook group with over 200 members has since formed to help reunite Wally with his family.
“All of the people in Prince George were helping him out by looking for him and spotting him,” says Lagimodiere.
There have been sightings of Wally all over the city, but the spooked little dog continues to evade capture. He moves fast and has been spotted near Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park, Queensway, Ospika Boulevard, and Otway.
“Me and my boyfriend travel [to Prince George] every second day after work,” says Lagimodiere, which is about a four-hour round trip from Burns Lake.
“My boyfriend, he caught him once but Wally slipped out of his hands and after that he just went running off so he’s really terrified of people right now. He doesn’t even remember us.”
Lagimodiere says her family is willing to pay a $500 reward for anyone who is able to catch Wally and keep him safe.
“He really means a lot to us,” says Lagimodiere. “He is really friendly. He loves kids, he loves to cuddle. He is like a big baby because he acts more like a human than a dog.”
If you spot Wally you can connect with his owners as well as the local volunteers searching for him through the public Wally Facebook group.
