A Langley woman hasn't lost hope that her dog is still alive, almost a month after he was last seen "slipping and getting swept away by the current" at the Lower Falls in Golden Ears Park in Maple Ridge.
Pilot is a 100-pound, yellow lab, and since his disappearance (on June 19) there have been reported sightings of him.
On Sunday, July 10, "a camper was leaving the park and spotted a dog matching Pilot’s description trotting along the side of the parkway all alone," said Pilot's owner Dione Dolan.
However, "the camper didn’t know it was a missing dog and did not know to notify anyone," she furthered.
That is, until four days later, when he saw information online regarding the lost dog.
Dolan and her family have created a Facebook page, and these days, she said, she's "experiencing the challenge" of her posters in the park "repeatedly" being taken down "in spite of the fact that I have been very respectful to only post on the message boards as instructed."
Pet Searchers is working with her, Dolan added, noting she has a GoFundMe account set up to pay for the service. "Everything I can do is being done," she said.
Dolan has "been in the park everyday and far into the night talking to campers, tourists and searching for her boy," said Lelia Nutt of Golden Ears Dog Walking. "Her devotion and determination really is amazing."
Nutt concedes that "a missing dog in Golden Ears is nothing new, but this one is special," she explained. "Pilot slipped into the river above the falls and at first it was assumed that he went over."
However, in the days after, and with no sign of his body surfacing, "it was questioned as to whether he might have made it over to the west side of the river where the current is less strong. Being that he is a strong swimmer it was an exciting possibility."
Since the disappearance of her dog, Dolan said she has had "an incredible flood of support" from the community."
On Saturday, June 17, a coordinated group search effort took place.
"We are so very grateful to all who gave of their time and to those who spread the word," said Nutt on the Find Pilot Facebook page. "We were able to get a drone flyover and are waiting for some tweeking (sic) of the video just to be sure."