LAC LA BICHE - It was a dog-gone happy ending for a Lac La Biche family when their four-legged favourite was found after getting stuck overnight in a drainage culvert.
George, the much-loved dog of Ryan and Colleen Yurdiga and their two young kids had been missing for 50 hours when a search party of friends, family and neighbours found him wedged in a metal drainage culvert near their home in a rural Lac La Biche subdivision.
According to Colleen, their pup, a one and half year-old Labradoodle, went missing Monday afternoon after she let him out for a pee in their backyard. When she called him back, he didn’t respond.
George has a collar that vibrates to get his attention. Colleen tried that too.
“I beeped his collar and vibrated it, but he still wasn’t coming back…he has great recall, so it was odd that he wasn’t coming back,” she told Lakeland This Week the day after Goerge was found.
Yurdiga thought that George was either chasing a squirrel that had been taunting him all summer, or perhaps a deer had caught his attention, and was out of range. But when she used a very loud whistle that he was familiar with to get his attention, he still didn’t return.
It was then that she got worried. The family began driving around the neighborhood in search of George. They also posted an alert on the neighbourhood Facebook page.
“We searched till close to 3 a.m. hiking in the back wooded areas that first night, and then started again when the kids got on the bus in the morning Tuesday,” Colleen explained.
With George nowhere in sight, the family contacted Grubs Electric, who had workers in the area conducting aerial heat sensor work with drones. Two boys in the neighbourhood saw the drone and followed it back towards the Yurdiga household. Just as they were walking back home for supper, the boys heard noises coming from a culvert near the Yurdigas’ home. George was stuck in the culvert.
They promptly ran back to the house to tell the Yurdiga family.
The family, neighbours and the boys worked to open a utility hole cover above the culvert and pulled the dog free. After lots of hugs and kisses, sleepless nights, dozens of search hours and lots of tears, they took their dog back home … 200 feet away.
“So, he was missing for 50 hours — two doors away,” Colleen told Lakeland This Week with a relieved laugh days after George was rescued.
Upon his return home, George received an unlimited supply of food and water as well as his favourite marrow treats. As for his favourite toys, Yurdiga says those are a squeaky shark and a squirrel he loves to play with.
Curious
George was checked out and suffered no serious injuries from the misadventure. Ironically, the family pet was named after the iconic cartoon character Curious George. According to Yurdiga, he was the most curious member of the litter of puppies in which he was born.
“His breeder named the pups from the litter and when we met him, we had to keep the name,” she said.
If there is a lesson to be learned, Yurdiga says, it is that pet owners should air tag their animals. She stated that she is also concerned why the culvert had a holding that deep and no grate over it to protect animals or children in the event of a fall.
Yurdiga is thankful for the support the family received in bringing their furry friend home safely.
She describes the support during the search as “breathtaking.” The family is thanking everyone who shared the Facebook post, went looking for George and hoped for his safe return.
“It’s crazy how so many people can care for something they’ve never met,” she said. “I cry just thinking about the supports and love from everyone. Words are not even possible to form for the gratitude our family feels.”
*With files from Rob McKinley
