Missing Highlands therapy dog feared stolen

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WATCH: A family in the Highlands is hoping their beloved therapy dog Bjorn will be safely returned. He went missing a week ago from their property but they say it’s unlike the dog to wander off. They’ve searched the area but they’ve had no luck finding a single trace and they fear Bjorn has been taken. Luisa Alvarez has the story.

It’s routine for four-year-old Brennan Lemon to play with his dog Eydis but for the past six days, the picture hasn’t been complete.

Their other dog, Bjorn, a ten-year-old Samoyed went missing on June 7 from the 500 block of Millstream Lake Road.

He was called in for supper and never came, which is unusual for the loyal dog who’s never ventured far from his boys or his home.

“If he’s outside by himself, he’s going to lay down in the front or back door or he’s going to sleep in the front yard. Even when he chases deer, he’s going to go maximum 200 feet from the house,” said Bjorn’s owner, Andrew Lemon.

Bjorn has been part of the family for the past ten years and Lemon’s three boys have never known life without him.

“My eldest son was two when we got Bjorn,” said Lemon.

But Bjorn is also missed in the community since he’s a therapy dog who works with children and other dogs as well.

“Its a therapy dog, it’s a working dog. [The owner] takes it to a bunch of different schools to work with kids and other dogs so they have a big hole in their family,” said Gary Shade, co-founder of Find Lost and Escaped Dogs Vancouver Island (F.L.E.D).

“He will howl to call children over and all these grade schoolers will come and maul him. You cant see the dog and then he’s sitting quietly being loved by these children,” said Lemon.

The search for Bjorn has been a daily routine for the past six days with F.L.E.D and Reuniting Owners with Animals Missing signs up on every block.

They’ve also run through every possible scenario since bears and cougars live in the area, but the family and others searching haven’t found a trace of anything and without a single sighting there is only one possibility left.

“We strongly feel that someone has this dog or has taken this dog. We will put that dog on our possibly stolen file and we will ship that info all over the island and onto the mainland to vets animal control the SCPA and police departments,” said Shade.

The 75-pound marshmallow dog is not difficult to spot. He’s also not a common breed on the island and he’s microchipped.

“Just bring him home no harm no foul,” said Lemon.

Anyone who has seen Bjorn can call F.L.E.D. at 250 479-0911, 250 213-1420 or email [email protected].

Luisa AlvarezLuisa Alvarez

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