North Vancouver dog missing for 54 days reunited with family

A beloved dog is back home with its North Vancouver family after spending nearly two months lost in the backcountry.

It’s a remarkable story of hope and survival.

A beloved dog is back home with its North Vancouver family after spending nearly two months lost alone in the backcountry.

“Some people think (a) dog is just (a) pet,” owner Yohan Kim told CTV News on Tuesday. “But I don’t agree..Many people say (a) dog or pet is family. Yes, I totally agree.”

Bami, a four-year-old Korean Jindo, spent 54 days alone on the North Shore after breaking free from her leash and collar during a November walk.

The rescue dog’s owners hired Petsearchers Canada to find her, and while there were sightings—capturing her was a challenge.

“What made Bami so tricky was that she wouldn’t stick to an area for more than a day,” Petsearchers Canada owner Parker Mills told CTV News Tuesday.

“We had multiple cameras out, we had traps set for her, and we just couldn’t get them in the right spots because she was never in the same area.”

As the weeks dragged on Kim says some people told him it was unlikely the dog was still alive, but he kept hope.

Even as video showed her dramatic weight loss.

“I believe that Jindo(s), especially Bami, the instincts (are) really good (for) survival in the forest,” explained Kim.

Then, after weeks of close calls and brief glimpses of Bami on camera—a breakthrough.

Mills and his Petsearchers colleague Julia Alfano were tipped off that the dog had been spotted near Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School.

After arriving Saturday morning, they were able to spot Bami using a drone eventually reuniting her with her owners after Alfano made her way through the brush where the dog had been hiding.

“It was a great search, and stressful at times, but we’re super happy with the outcome and that she’s back home,” Alfano said.

Bami’s owners, who refused to accept their dog was gone for good, are also relieved.

“Do not—never ever—give up,” Kim said.

An example that when there’s hope, there’s always a chance.