On November 27, my dog, Dixie, was stolen from Big Hill Springs Provincial Park. Dixie is turning 3 on December 14th and she is a Maremma and used as a livestock guardian at our farm. Not only does she protect our farm, she is well loved by all of us and the animals at our farm. Each night when night check our animals, she even makes sure that the cats who are following us make it safely into the barn for the evening.
We know Dixie was stolen because her Apple AirTag was manually removed from her collar. The AirTag was in a case that was weaved through her collar and could only be removed by a human. It was then discarded on Highway 22, just north of Cochrane at 6:03 pm. After an extensive search we found her AirTag later that evening around 10:00pm.
Dixie was reported stolen to the RCMP. We are doing an extensive social media campaign, door knocking, posting flyers, and reaching out to rescues and vet clinics. We have even gone so far as speaking with animal communicators who specialize in lost pets.
During our search, we have heard from several other people who have had their dogs stolen. Some were later found in another province that were sold. Some show up months later. And some never to be seen again. Dogs with jobs, like Dixie, who are specially trained are at a higher risk to be stolen, along with non-spayed females to be used in puppy mills or expensive purebred dogs.
We have a $5,000 cash reward for whoever returns Dixie, with no questions asked. With the growing number of stolen dogs in the province, we think it is important for the public to be aware so that they can be on the lookout for suspicious activity regarding dog theft, along with taking steps to protect their own dogs.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this story more, please contact me by 403-477-3929 or email me at [email protected]..
