Anyone with information on missing Bichon Shih Tzu Daisy (pictured) should call Red Deer RCMP at 403-343-5575. (Supplied)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

desperate plea

Missing therapy dog believed stolen

Jun 11, 2020 | 3:19 PM

A woman living in north Red Deer is making a desperate plea for the safe return of her missing dog.

Sharon Roberts ordered pizza for dinner on May 30 and while the delivery person was at her Normandeau home, 10-year-old Daisy, a Bichon Shih Tzu, escaped through an open gate.

“I’m used to not seeing her for a few hours, so it didn’t bother me that I hadn’t because she goes under the couch or on the bed. So when I went to put Daisy out before bedtime, she didn’t come around, and I realized she wasn’t in the house,” Roberts recounts.

“We went door to door, and posted on all these Facebook groups. Finally there was a picture of her in a group for Normandeau. I messaged the woman, who was acting as a third party, and told me that the person who actually had Daisy wouldn’t talk to me.”

She says that it was then communicated to her that the person with Daisy had contacted someone claiming to be with the SPCA, and that they’d dropped Daisy off to that person for safe-keeping.

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Family members canvassed Normandeau, Roberts says, and came upon the house where Daisy is believed to be but have gotten no further with their search.

“She’s a therapy dog. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 10 years ago and she’s never left my side. She would never leave me and she knows when I’m having a bad day,” Roberts shares.

Roberts’s anxiety is heightened further out of fear that 8-pound Daisy may be abused.

The Central Alberta Humane Society wants citizens to know it does not have volunteers in the community representing the agency.

“When we talk about stray dogs and pick-ups, we don’t tend to go into the community. People come to us if an animal is found, and we have strict procedures around identification. We hold the animal until the owner is found, and in terms of calling us to pick up an animal, we refer to bylaw,” says Tara Hellewell, executive director.

“People have to be very careful right now because there seems to be big demand for dogs, which makes for an interesting scenario. Our adoptions have gone through the roof; we had 70 dog adoptions in May alone. All our staff have business cards — not necessarily photo ID.”

Red Deer RCMP have opened a file on the matter. They say anyone with information on Daisy’s whereabouts should contact them at 403-343-5575 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.