Williams Lake woman fears for young dog, missing in Vancouver

A young goldendoodle lost in Vancouver, is giving a Williams Lake woman a lot of concern, as she tries to find her lost pup.

Brenda Adtruson raised the young dog, Laika, at her home outside Williams Lake, where she breeds goldendoodles, but the 10-month-old dog was lost while staying with a friend in Coal Harbour.

Last positively identified at a sighting on Cambie and First on Aug. 7, the young dog has now been missing in the city for seven weeks, after a heavy fire door slamming scared the mild-mannered pup, causing her to bolt. Other reported sightings have the dog around the BC Children’s Hospital and at Prince Edward and 16th Avenue in September.

Adtruson said she had brought the young dog down to Coal Harbour to spend some time with her friend Shelley, to help “heal her heart” after the woman’s goldendoodle Ruby, who Shelley had purchased from Adtruson 13 years previously, had died. 

Adtruson said she hated to see her friend suffer and hoped spending some time with Laika, who would have been a niece of Ruby’s, could help her friend.

“She was crying, she made me cry,” said Adtruson.

But since Laika’s disappearance, Adtruson has been trying everything possible to be reunited with the young dog, hiring a Vancouver pet searcher, reaching out to her network of goldendoodle owners, and working with others who have offered to help in Vancouver.

“I can’t believe the community in Vancouver looking for her,” said Adtruson, noting one retired pilot has reportedly been riding his bike around every day and covered countless kilometres helping look for the lost pup.

Adtruson’s own husband and son have both gone down twice to search, spending a week at a time looking for the missing dog.

“She’s just the sweetest little girl,” said Adtruson, of Laika, who she said she had hopes of breeding and who she wanted to make into a therapy dog due to her friendly and gentle disposition.

Adtruson has put up $3,500 of her own money as a reward and others then contributed towards the $5,000 reward for the return of the beloved dog.

While she said someone may have taken the dog home with them because Laika is so nice, her biggest fear is the dog is still out there, scared and alone, and getting weaker.

There are several known coyote dens in the neighbourhood where Laika was last seen, and many animals are killed each year in Vancouver by the urban wildlife.

“The more she’s out lost, she’ll lose more strength,” said Adtruson, who said the rural dog is not accustomed to the city streets and noises and may be in a fight or flight response, which makes her hard to catch or may have her hiding.

“I would feel better knowing somebody had her rather than she’s alone and terrified on the streets,” she said. 

Laika is described as a light apricot goldendoodle with a white muzzle, chin and chest. She is approximately 28 lbs, 17.5 inches tall, and is microchipped.

“I miss her so much and just want her home safely,” said Adtruson.

Anyone who believes they have seen Laika with someone or alone, are asked to contact 604-833-9370.