By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Stray dog causing a stir in Deer Park

Dec 10, 2018 | 2:52 PM

Deer Park residents are being urged to stop putting food out for a stray dog authorities believe has been roaming loose for a full year.

Sgt. Duane Thomas with Alberta Animal Services says it’s not actually possible to tell if the German shepherd is the same one that escaped its owner on Dec. 10, 2017 until they can catch it, but there’s a firm belief the dog is one in the same.

“It has been difficult because the dog is very skittish. Because of that, he won’t come near anybody and is very wary of any traps,” Thomas says. “The other problem has been that people in the area have been feeding the animal for several months. We’ve seen lots of bowls in alleys and so he’s going to go to the free food rather than going to the trap.”

Notices have been sent to area residents.

Meanwhile, another homeowner in the area recently had a trap of his own set up, but it was taken down amid cries from another group trying to rescue the dog that it could’ve seriously harmed the canine with its door that went down instead of side to side.

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Darlene Burt with Calgary-based K9 Recovery Service has been tracking and attempting to trap the dog – nicknamed Mission – since July.

“He’s been elusive to people because they’ve been pursuing him in more of what I would consider a forceful kind of way,” Burt says. “People think they can help this dog, so when they see it, they want to catch it, and then we have emotions involved, but not knowing how to approach a dog that’s out there and scared has caused him to keep moving further away.”

Burt insists ‘Mission’ is not aggressive.

“He’s resource-guarding. He’s not much different from a coyote right now and he has to find food and he’s going to protect that food,” she says. “By no means is it an aggressive bark, it’s just ‘Hey, you’re too close, I’m warning you,’ and he will retreat from anyone who tries to approach him.”

Thomas corroborates that viewpoint, noting there have been zero complaints about the canine actually being threatening, just that when people have entered his domain in the later hours, he gets startled, barks, and then disappears again.

“We do believe he probably has a den area in Deer Park or nearby, or he’s living under somebody’s deck where he can get warmth, or under a shed so he can avoid the elements,” Thomas says.  “If any citizen notices anything odd in their yard in terms of a fairly visible path under their deck with dog tracks or anything along those lines, contact us.”

The number to call if you see this dog is 403-347-2388.