A Stoney Creek man says his dog escaped from staff at an animal hospital while on a walk after surgery and was missing for five days.
Tony Greenly, the dog’s owner, said he was, “like totally furious, I was scared, who do you trust out there anymore?”
After taking his three-year-old Samoyed, Shamrock, to Beattie Pet Hospital on Upper Centennial on Saturday for an overnight surgery Greenly did not expect what came next.
When he went to the hospital the next day to pick up his dog Greenly says Shamrock was not there, and was told by the hospital that he had gotten loose during a walk, “they said, ‘actually that was the first time that happened.'”
CHCH News reached out to Beattie Pet Hospital and while they confirmed a patient in their care did go missing, they said they could not discuss specifics due to client confidentiality, instead providing a statement: “We have a protocol of using double slip-leashes and we have confirmed that this protocol was followed, however the patient was able to break away from our team member.”
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Greenly immediately took his experience to social media and got help from “The Dream Team”, a not-for-profit search, rescue and recovery team, formed to bring home missing dogs.
For five days the team searched for the dog and followed leads hoping the inured Shamrock was safe.
Greenly says they searched for the dog during a few snowy days “we seen his footprints everywhere, so we just couldn’t locate him.”
Greenly and the Dream Team found Shamrock on Thursday afternoon in the area of Hendershot Road about a five-minute drive from the hospital.
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“So I went way in the field, my daughter helped me, Nicole… crying with joy.”
Greenly wasn’t the only one worried about Shamrock, he had other family members missing him, as well.
His other dogs: Sasha, Casoerm Savannah, and Misty, felt “something was missing in their life eh, like, they’ve been together for a long time eh, so,” says Greenly.
Shamrock is now home safe and sound, recovering from minor scrapes and bruises.
Beattie Pet Hospital, says their caring team members have been distraught over the missing patient and are relieved to see him back home.
But Greenly says he thinks the hospital should have done more to help, “I think they should have got more involved.” He says, “I think they should at least have compensation for me, for what we went through.”
