A chihuahua with large perky ears and friendly eyes has been taken from a woman who relies on her as a service dog.
Last week, Dana Landry left her dog Junebug in the care of a neighbour when she travelled to Ross River for business.
When the neighbour went to feed the dog at lunchtime, the chihuahua bolted from the side door of Landry’s downtown home.
Landry’s neighbour tried to chase her down the street, but quickly lost sight of the little dog.
Junebug has been specially trained to assist Landry with her anxiety disorder, a condition that was once so bad Landry couldn’t leave the house.
Now Landry fears the dog may be in the hands of someone else.
After losing track of Junebug, the neighbour phoned the CBC to report the missing dog. Several callers phoned in to say they had seen the animal running north towards the clay cliffs.
Then another caller phoned to report seeing Landry’s chihuahua jump into a small, grey SUV.
“The woman opened the door to her car and called the dog to her,” said Landry, imitating the kissing sound the woman used to lure the dog.
“I can see Junie doing that, she’s more open to women than men and, if a woman called her over, she’d go.”
Landry checked with the Humane Society and the city’s bylaw office to see if her dog had been turned in.
She also phoned both vet clinics in town and walked the city pinning up 200 full-colour posters of her dog.
“As far as I know, somebody has her,” said Landry.
Since Junebug has disappeared, Landry can feel her anxiety disorder coming on again.
“I’m much more anxious without her,” she said.
“My stomach is all knotted up, I’m nervous and I keep thinking about where she is.”
Landry has had Junebug for three years and specially trained the dog to respond to her particular needs.
“(The dog) is very alert to my emotional state,” said Landry. “It took well over a year to build that foundation with her.”
“She’s not just decoration, she has a job,” she said.
When Landry’s daughter was six months old, Junebug alerted her when the little girl was having a seizure.
“She went up to my daughter and was just barking and barking,” said Landry.
“When I looked at the baby, I realized that she was having a seizure.”
At first Landry used to take the dog everywhere she went; now she doesn’t need to rely on the dog as often.
But the dog still offers Landry a sense of security.
Landry is hoping whoever has the dog comes forward once they know that the dog is much more than just a pet.
She’s offering a reward to whoever returns her dog. And if it’s a chihuahua they want, Landry is even prepared to buy them one, she said.
Junebug has a microchip in her ear and has a collar with her name on it.
Contact Vivian Belik at
vivianb@yukon-news.com