"It was very nice that everyone came together for one dog that really needed help."
A lost and injured dog found in Trout Creek near Summerland, B.C., has been reunited with its owners, after being found by a local late Monday night.
Blanca Cristina Pacheco said she was driving home from work around 9:30 p.m. when she saw a couple of people in front of her start braking slowly for a dog crossing the highway.
The white pup was clearly injured and bleeding, so Pacheco pulled over to help along with a few others.
The dog had a Calgary license tag around its collar but Pacheco said it didn't have any name, contact or phone numbers on it.
She added that since she was the only local who stopped to help, she knew to call Penticton Dog Control and called 911 to let them know what was going on along the major highway.
"Dog control told me that they couldn't get there right away because they didn't have the staff. So they asked 'Are you able to bring it up here?' So I said 'yes, absolutely.'"
The pup appeared to have been struck by a car.
"Probably one of the paws was under the tire because it was very, very painful and bleeding a lot," Pacheco added. " I grab a towel from my car and we put the dog inside my car and I drove directly to Penticton."
Having two dogs herself, Pacheco said the incident especially touched her heart, knowing how much pain the dog must be in and wanting to help reconnect the animal to its family.
"I know how worried you can be as an owner. I was worried when I saw it, it really broke my heart when I saw the paw bleeding and the dog so sad, so confused and disoriented."
Once the dog was at the animal care and control services, Pacheco said she was getting pain medications and being cared for.
She also shared the photo and information on local Facebook pages, hoping someone would recognize the pup. Dozens of community members messaged her and commented offering any other help and support.
"I was very overwhelmed with the support because at the beginning I was at work for 16 hours so I was exhausted and wanted to go home. But I said 'No, he needs to get to a vet' and I was really worried about the safety of the dog and I was not gonna leave it on the road."
Penticton Animal Care & Control announced on social media that, happily, the dog's owner had been found.
"I'm very happy that the dog is with their owners now," Pacheco said.
