A woman has been reunited with her beloved pup after nine days of terrifying uncertainty.
Sherri Storoshenko, of South Surrey, British Columbia, said that she was preparing for a camping trip when her Labrador and pit bull mix, Sheba, wandered away from home. To complicate the matter, 16-year-old Sheba suffers from poor eyesight and hearing loss.
According to CBC News, Storoshenko had let her dogs into the backyard only minutes before Sheba went missing. She suspects that Sheba's combination of sight and hearing issues led to the dog getting lost.
"She's going a little senile I think," Storoshenko said of the elderly canine.
In the coming days, Storoshenko searched extensively for her cherished pet. She put up flyers, enlisted the help of neighbors, and even hired a professional pet finder to try tracking the pup with bloodhounds. Despite the massive search party, days went by without a sign from Sheba.
As reported by Global News Canada, Sheba is almost completely blind and deaf, meaning she can't hear when her name is called. "It makes it very hard to find a dog who can't hear or see," Storoshenko said, explaining the unique challenge of their situation.
"The last couple of days I was feeling very, very defeated with everything," said Storoshenko, as reported by CBC News. "I was starting to think that the worst has happened."
The 35-year-old Storoshenko adopted Sheba when she was only 18, and the two have formed a tight bond in their many years together. "She's literally my best friend and my sidekick," Storoshenko said. "I don't have children, she is my child."
Storoshenko had all but given up hope when she received a call from a woman who claimed to have found Sheba at a nearby beach.
Nicole Lunde and her boyfriend had visited South Surrey's Crescent Beach to watch the sunset when they noticed Sheba sitting all alone in a hillside clearing.
"I think she was just sitting there in the clearing waiting to be found in the prickle bushes," Lunde said. "But she was super calm, just a little bit of the shakes."
Right as they were taking her to their car, Lunde's and her boyfriend, Cali Martinez, happened to see one of Sheba's missing dog posters and made the link.
After being reunited with Sheba, Storoshenko said, "I started bawling my eyes out, started hugging her."
Sheba has since been checked by a veterinarian who says that, aside from some dehydration and weight loss, she is in fine health.
Reflecting on those scary nine days, Storoshenko realizes how lucky she was to find Sheba. "I'm never gonna let her go again," she said.
Uncommon Knowledge
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