Hope remains as search continues for dog missing in Englishman River Falls Park

Anne Gallup wants to find her family dog to take back to her two young children and was back out searching between snow storms on Friday.

Gallup, who lives in Duncan, was visiting her parents in Errington for Family Day when a walk through Englishman River Falls Provincial Park Monday morning ended in panic after her dog Harley ran off.

“Right down here coming up the trail she was about ten feet in front of me and just was gone,” Gallup told CHEK News Friday.

Anne says Harley, a five and a half year-old Chocolate Labrador Retriever was on a leash as they came up the hill from the lower falls, but she let go of the leash a couple of minutes from their vehicle and when Anne wasn’t looking the dog simply disappeared.

“First I thought she fell down the cliff so I kind of climbed down there and checked out that area and maybe wasted time looking down there because I think she might have done towards the parking lot instead that leads to other trails.

Gallup has been at the park everyday alongside friends and total strangers searching for Harley.

She is worried the trailing leash on Harley could eventually have got caught on something now trapping her in that spot.

A cougar was also spotted in the area that weekend.

Social media is abuzz with appeals for a watchful eye. That’s where Carol MacLaine saw the story on Facebook and went out on her own Friday to take a look with her own dog.

“We just came out to see if we could find her,” MacLaine said. “I’ve been calling for her and my dog has been sniffing her her. We have a bag of treats and an extra leash if we find her.”

Family friend Alisha Winder joined Gallup from Shawnigan Lake Friday morning.

“Harley is the one to kind of hunker down so we’re just going to look in some of the tight areas and yeah we just love her and want her to come home,” said Winder.

Two canine rescue groups FLED (Finding Lost & Escaped Dogs Vancouver Island) and AARF (Arrowsmith Animal Rescue Foundation) have flooded social media and Arrowsmith Search and Rescue was in the park Thursday checking a steep cliff where Harley could have gone.

“We can absolutely respond when there’s a danger to the owners that might be searching for them so in this event we went down the cliff and rappelled down instead of the owners having to put themselves in that dangerous position,” said Arrowsmith SAR President Nick Rivers.

Gallup has placed Harley’s bed with socks belonging to her kids, ages 2 and 6, as well as treats under a picnic shelter at the park in case the dog returns.

Gallup also isn’t ruling out the chance that Harley might have been taken by someone and is offering a $1000.00 reward for Harley’s return, “no questions asked.” 250-884-6164 is the number to call.

Another search will commence Saturday morning in the park at 9:00 a.m.

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