Dog found safe several days after escaping crate at Vancouver airport

A rescue dog that went missing after running away at Vancouver International Airport last week has been found safe.

A dog that escaped from his crate at the Vancouver airport and wandered the sprawling grounds for more than a week has been found safe.

The operators of a local pet recovery service spent several days tracking Tommy, an eight-month-old corgi mix, around the airport after he escaped from his enclosure shortly after arriving on a flight from South Korea on Oct. 9

Petsearchers Canada says in a post on social media that it was called to search the airport, starting with the terminals and parking lots, before the group shifted its focus to the airport’s runways, outbuildings and woodlands.

Tommy, wearing a red scarf and a blue harness, was first spotted in some bushes off a busy airport road. “A trap was set, but Tommy had other plans and moved north toward the industrial and forested areas, full of coyotes and heavy traffic,” the group said.

The team was then alerted to sightings at the airport’s fuel yard and next to a runway. “Cameras and traps were set, and Tommy cautiously checked one out — halfway in before backing out,” the post said. “Then, he disappeared again.”

Tommy was brought to Canada by Furever Freed Dog Rescue, a pet-adoption group that says he was adopted from a Korean shelter where he would have been euthanized.

But the flight over left Tommy frightened, and his crate was soaked with urine when he arrived, according to group founder Lisa McGalliard.

“This is one of our worst nightmares — a dog going missing,” McGalliard told CTV News shortly after he went missing. “It’s upsetting for everybody.”

Over the weekend, Petsearchers Canada says it retraced the airport grounds, placing more cameras and bait stations in areas the lost dog was believed to be hiding in.

“Finally, Tommy reappeared,” the group said. “A freshly baited trap was moved into position, and this time, he went all the way in. Safe at last!”

In the social media post, the pet-finder group thanked the local RCMP and Vancouver International Airport staff for their assistance with the search.

Staff had distributed missing posters around the airport in an effort to find the lost dog, while McGalliard says Mounties on duty shared Tommy’s picture in a group chat.

In a statement last week, an airport spokesperson said members of the airport operations team were “doing all they can” to help bring the missing dog home.

“Operations will continue to stay in close contact with those involved as efforts to locate Tommy continue,” the spokesperson said.

RELATED STORY: Rescue dog Tommy missing after running away from Vancouver airport

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Andrew Weichel