The lost dog was spotted by a bus passenger at a bus stop in Regina, Saskatchewan, which has been getting record cold weather this past week.
Darren Szabo, a transportation service officer in the Canadian city, rushed to the bus stop to try and keep the dog warm until the Regina Humane Society (RHS) could arrive.
He told Global News that he was worried the dog would suffer frostbite. “It was hard. I knew with the extreme temperatures that a matter of minutes could make a difference between him losing the tips of his ears or his paws.”
The dog was fearful and growled at Szabo when he first approached, but he relented when Szabo covered him with his fleece jacket and recognized he was there to help.
“He was just as scared as he was cold,” Szabo said. “If I got cold, I could always grab another jacket. This poor dog didn’t have that chance.”
Regina Humane Society came within minutes and after the dog was checked over he was quickly reunited with his family, who had called them earlier to report him lost.
“It was not common for the dog to be missing, so they noticed he was missing fairly quickly and phoned us,” Lindsay West, director of operations for the RHS, said of the dog’s owners.
Thankfully, the dog has made a full recovery and suffered no ill-effects from the cold.
Regina has a Safe Bus Program for people if they find themselves stuck in extreme cold. If they wave down a bus, the bus will stop to lend assistance.
“It’s important we reach out and help each other; whether it’s a small animal in need or a person in need.” said Szabo. Regina Transit shared a photo of the dog and also reinforced the message. “We indicated ‘everyone’ should be safe from the harsh elements of this cold snap, which includes our furry friends as well…Everyone stay safe and warm out there.”
