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Dustan the German shepherd captured in Fraser Valley cornfield after weeks on the run

Chilliwacksa国际传媒檚 littlest hobo found by pet searchers with a bucket on her head
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A lot of effort went into capturing Dustan who was found in Greendale on Oct. 2, 2022. (Natasha MacDonald)

Dustan the dog is safe at last.

Chilliwacksa国际传媒檚 littlest hobo, a female German shepherd on the run, was finally captured Tuesday by professional pet searchers in a cornfield.

The dogsa国际传媒檚 triumphant capture was sa国际传媒渃ause for relief, elation, joy, all the emotions,sa国际传媒 said Natasha MacDonald, one of six women who came together to raise money, and help the dog.

They set up a GoFundMe for Dustansa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒渁fter care,sa国际传媒 and it raised $2,755 in two days.

sa国际传媒淎s a result of much hard work and dedication by many great people and volunteers, she was captured in a corn field,sa国际传媒 MacDonald explained.

The thin and exhausted shepherd was spotted running around with a plastic bucket on her head, of all things.

When Petsearchers Canada caught Dustan she had a plastic bucket on her head. (Petsearchers Canada)

sa国际传媒淎 humongous thank-you to Al from Pet Searchers Canada who caught this brave dog, and thank-you to Cam who got Al up close on his quad to make it all happen.sa国际传媒

Al MacLellan of Petsearchers Canada said he was contacted by the group concerned about Dustan but was swamped with other search efforts at the time.

sa国际传媒淚n the last week or so we have heard from several searchers that they were losing hope of capturing Dustan and were afraid that she might not survive.sa国际传媒

There had been numerous sightings on both sides of the highway sa国际传媒 in Rosedale, downtown, Skwah First Nation, and finally Greendale.

The pet searchers talked it over and decided to donate their services to the cause.

sa国际传媒淭he search was on! I assured Natasha that together we would capture Dustan and get her safe,sa国际传媒 McLellan wrote.

They searched Monday and thought they had a glimpse of the dog. Then there was another sighting Tuesday morning of the dog from Greendale farmer Cam Regier, and this time it was with a feed bucket on her head.

sa国际传媒淲e rushed out to Chilliwack and group members and I searched the fields for Dustan.sa国际传媒

They knew from recent sightings she was in a nearby corn field, but they didnsa国际传媒檛 have eyes on her until Regier called to say hesa国际传媒檇 seen her on the outskirts of his cornfield in some bushes.

The searchers set off on an ATV, armed with a large net and a sa国际传媒渃atchsa国际传媒 pole.

sa国际传媒淓ventually Cam saw Dustan and the chase was on. Speeding through the cornfield we soon were up close to Dustan, I tried to get the net over her head and body, but it didnsa国际传媒檛 work. The net snapped in half.sa国际传媒

They needed a new battle plan.

sa国际传媒淪o I asked Cam to let me off his ATV with my catch pole, and instead he would catch up to Dustan again and push her towards me.sa国际传媒

That worked like a charm.

sa国际传媒淏oth of them were heading straight at me,sa国际传媒 the pet searcher wrote. He nudged her into the high grass off her paws, and then the catch pole was secured.

sa国际传媒淪he was caught!sa国际传媒

Not sure at first if her captors were friend or foe, she eventually relaxed.

A lot of effort went into capturing Dustan who was found in Greendale on Oct. 2, 2022. (Natasha MacDonald)
A lot of effort went into capturing Dustan who was found in Greendale on Oct. 2, 2022. (Natasha MacDonald)

sa国际传媒淲e all agreed that she would some day be a loving family member,sa国际传媒 he wrote. sa国际传媒淲e walked her to a truck and put her in a kennel, she was heading straight to a vet to have the bucket removed, and get checked out. She did great and will be cared for until she can be adopted to a loving family.sa国际传媒

MacDonald also thanked Darlene from K9 Recovery Services for all her time, guidance, advice and effort, and to Skwah First Nation for their co-operation and kindness, as well as all the farmers in Greendale who helped us.

sa国际传媒淔rom the bottom of our hearts to the many people who assisted by keeping eyes on this dog, donating funds and resources, offering us access to their land, and more.

sa国际传媒淲e can all breathe deeply now.sa国际传媒

She was taken to Family Pet Hospital in Chilliwack, and is in fair condition despite what she went through.

sa国际传媒淪he has some foreign matter in her guts which will hopefully work itsa国际传媒檚 way out,sa国际传媒 MacDonald said.

They took x-rays and blood, and confirmed she is in stable condition.

sa国际传媒淪he will be needing vaccines, parasite control, spaying and medications to help her feel comfortable in her wasted state,sa国际传媒 the request for help stated. sa国际传媒淐an we ask for your help once again? We used the remainder of the money from the original Go Fund Me to take the edge off the vet bill today. We would like to hand her over to her new people as such that they will not have that financial burden.sa国际传媒

She thanked anyone who helped out.

sa国际传媒淚f we exceed the goal or are not in need of all of the funds, we will choose a reputable rescue to which we can pass on these extra funds.sa国际传媒

There is a Facebook page, , where many of those who helped are thanked profusely, and the .

Do you have something to add to this story, or a news tip? Email:
jennifer.feinberg@theprogress.com



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A lot of effort went into capturing Dustan who was found in Greendale on Oct. 2, 2022. (Natasha MacDonald)


Jennifer Feinberg

About the Author: Jennifer Feinberg

I have been a Chilliwack Progress reporter for 20+ years, covering city hall, Indigenous, business, and climate change stories.
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