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March 30, 2021 • • 4 hours ago • • Read for 4 minutes 
Kingston Humane Society Veterinary Technician Talia Fleming with Crane, a husky, in the Society’s office in Kingston on Tuesday. Submitted photo
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Crane, one of seven wild dogs brought to the Kingston Humane Society last September and taken to a foster home last month, is now back in society’s care after spending 17 days in the east, inner-city and north areas of Kingston walked around.
After being discovered but not captured near Grass Creek Park in other parts of the Joyceville area, it is located north of Highway 401, near Division Street and Montreal Street, and downtown near the Leon’s Center and Railway Street, where he was finally captured on Sunday.
Gord Hunter, executive director of the Humane Society, blogged Monday about Crane’s time at large.
The dog escaped the off-leash zone in Grass Creek Park on March 11, and humane society officials began their search 24 hours later.
“We mobilized teams to search the entire park, under every tree and in every swampy tangle of undergrowth. Unfortunately we came away empty-handed, ”wrote Hunter.
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With no direction of travel and no sightings, the company turned to SkEYE Stream, a local drone service, to help with the search, and trail cameras were installed in the area. Flyers were created and social media were used to reach the public. At this point the company was waiting for news of a sighting.
Crane came into society as a wild dog. He and six other huskies were on their own in remote Central Frontenac, Hunter said.
“When they came into our care, they were absolutely scared. It took us a month to get her on a leash at all, ”he said.
During the search, humane society workers spoke to neighbors, searched behind barns, checked under trees, and even searched trenches while looking for the dog, but to no avail.
“No sign,” wrote Hunter. “We moved the trail cams. We turned the drones back on. We waited. A day passed. We filled up feeding stations and downloaded camera images. Still nothing.”
Kimberlee Vastino of Thousand Islands Pet Search was brought in to help with the search. “She immediately helped focus our efforts. Once again we moved trail cams and feeding stations, sent out search teams, delivered flyers and updated social networks. Once again we were too far behind him. “
Then, on March 22, 11 days after Crane’s disappearance, another confirmed sighting of Crane was reported near 401 at Division Street interchange.
“We had several sightings over the next two days. At some point we came only a few feet away from him, but he was frightened at the last minute and went back to the safety of the forest, ”wrote Hunter.
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Hunter wrote that Crane was in full flight mode and showed no interest in food or even familiar people.
For the next few days he was commuting north of 401 between Montreal Street and Division Street. He was dangerously close to traffic.
Then Hunter received a message last Saturday that a woman had seen Crane near Hunter’s house in Kingston.
“I grabbed a can of cat food and a leash and went on my way. My wife Ginette took the car and drove on, ”he wrote.
“I ran to this place. Then another call: “I can see him on the docks!” I turned around and saw a flash of gray. I was walking in that direction and as I neared the start of the K&P Trail, Crane was running within two meters of me. He was still in full flight mode. “
On Sunday, Humane Society veterinary assistant Talia Fleming gave Erik Round, a paladin security officer patrolling Railway Street, her cell phone number. That evening Round Crane had spotted Crane on Railway Street behind the Coca-Cola plant. A short time later, Fleming arrived. Crane recognized her and let her take him in.
“He approached her and sniffed her face as if to say,” Where have you been? “Hunter wrote.
“When I think about it, I am impressed by the commitment of the KHS staff and volunteers. Nobody gave up. No one allowed despair to dispel hope. Nobody stopped. “
In an interview on Tuesday, Hunter said Crane lost 13 pounds, a quarter of his body weight, during the ordeal.
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“For a 50-pound dog, that’s pretty serious.”
Crane is now recovering and will work as the company’s office dog for the next several weeks.
“He’s got a good month here with a recovery plan ahead of him. At the moment he eats every three or four hours, including all night. The concern is if we feed him too fast or too much his system would refuse or shut down. So we have to be very careful. “
Hunter said Crane was emaciated, dehydrated, had more than 40 ticks on his head and neck, and had Lyme disease.
“There were a few abrasions but no serious injuries, that was great.”
Since Crane is a wild dog, Hunter said that most likely he will not go to a traditional home to be placed in a husky or wild dog rescue facility.
“He needs someone with really strong knowledge and experience of the breed and how to deal with a really difficult situation,” said Hunter.
All the other dogs are in houses now, said Hunter.
Without public help, Crane would not have been found alive, Hunter said.
“It was just an absolutely incredible response from the community,” he said. “We couldn’t have done it without people calling and offering on the street to call us and track him down.”
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