Lack of snow removal part of the reason Hamilton man’s dog went missing

UPDATE: Novie the dog has since been found safe.

A Hamilton man says his new rescue dog is missing and a snow-covered sidewalk is partly to blame.

Paul Lawton was on a regular walk this morning with his two chihuahuas, Izzy and Novie. As Lawton turned the corner onto Maple Avenue, he was met with a section of the sidewalk completely covered in snow.

READ MORE: Major winter storm blankets parts of Ontario in snow

Lawton says, “I just didn’t notice and I fell back super hard and hit my head, and kind of injured my shoulder.” Lawton says Novie, who is a rescue and has only been with him for three months got spooked.

Lawton says, “she slipped out of her jacket and harness at the same time and bolted and took off.” Lawton says the section of sidewalk is rarely shoveled and while he plans to contact the city about it, his first priority is his missing puppy, so he took to social media for help.

Lawton says he received lots of responses on his social media post to contact Dream. The Dream Team is a federally incorporated not-for-profit search, rescue, and recovery service with a focus on finding lost animals.

The national statistic for dogs that go missing and then return home is about 95 per cent. Cases that the Dream Team becomes involved in are about 97 to 98 per cent.

READ MORE: Police rescue 2 dogs intentionally locked in Fort Erie storage unit

As Lawton and the Dream Team searched for Novie, he can only hope that she is safe. If you see Novie, The Dream Team says to not approach her but instead contact them through social media.

The city tells CHCH News that the sidewalk in question is the responsibility of the residents, not the city. A Hamilton by-law says residents are expected to shovel their own sidewalk within 24 hours of a snowfall or face potential fines.