The Hay River SPCA is fundraising for two security cameras to be installed in its building after a dog was stolen.
Lyla, a malamute mix puppy, had flown from Paulatuk to stay with Kori Bourne. Bourne was fostering the dog for a month from Paulatuk before she was to be sent to her adoption family in Ontario.
Bourne was leaving town, so dropped off Lyla at the Hay River Animal Shelter, where she was going to be picked up on the way to the airport.
But the puppy was reported missing on August 19 at around 5 p.m. from the shelter and was missing for several days. Bourne said the community response was impressive.
“The posts that we had were shared over, it was over a hundred times,” said Bourne. “It was seen by over 22,000 people. If people hadn’t been sharing, pushing it around and having the whole community involved with just looking for her, we probably never would have found her.”
“We have gotten so much help and love from everyone in Hay River and the surrounding area, within minutes of posting there were swarms of vehicles in the industrial area and for several days people have been checking security cameras, searching high and low for our sweet Lyla,” the organization wrote in a post to Facebook.
After a false alarm where the dog’s sister was spotted in Fort Providence and mistakenly reported as being Lyla — Bourne said they were crushed at the news — the dog was recovered on August 23.
The shelter posted a link to a gofundme page where people can donate to help purchase the cameras. As of writing, $1,545 had been donated towards the shelter’s $1,300 goal.
The SPCA said in the description of the fundraiser that any money raised above the goal would go towards spaying and neutering dogs at the shelter.
