Epileptic foster dog located after 70 kilometre journey

Willy, a shepherd-Chow Chow cross who is prone to seizures, has been located after a journey of approximately 70 kms (photo: AARCS)

The two day search for a foster dog that escaped from a home in northeast Calgary ended when a family discovered the pooch in a horse stable on their acreage near Cochrane.

Willy, a shepherd Chow-Chow cross, disappeared from his Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS) foster home in the community of Castleridge on Sunday afternoon. The rescue organization posted photos of the missing two-year-old dog on social media. Within hours, several people spotted Willy in Coventry Hills and reported the sightings to AARCS.

Officials with AARCS feared for Willy’s safety as the dog suffers is prone to seizures and is extremely timid.

On Tuesday night, AARCS received a phone call from a family that lives on an acreage approximately 25 kilometres northwest of Cochrane after they discovered an exhausted Willy in their horse stable.

Willy’s three day pilgrimage saw the dog travel approximately 70 kilometres and involved crossing both Deerfoot Trail and Highway 22.

Lindsay Black, AARCS communications and events manager, says she’s amazed by the distance Willy travelled in such a short time and is glad the frightening ordeal had a happy ending. Black believes Willy was attempting to return to his home province of Saskatchewan but made a wrong turn.

Willy is available for adoption and will continue to undergo behaviour training. Anyone interested in adopting the well travelled Willy, or any dog or cat in need of a forever home, may visit AARCS.