Susan and Barry Newman have not given up searching for their beloved friend and guardian Jack.
A rescue dog adopted by the Sunnybrae couple in February 2018, Jack quickly became a close companion to Susan, steadfastly looking out for her.
In a letter to the Observer, Barry notes when he was adopted, Jack "seemingly made a vow to watch over her forever."
Jack went missing on Tuesday, Feb. 25, after the couple dropped him and their other dog, Louie (another rescue) off at Happy Howlz Grooming, located at 3770 50th St. NE in Canoe.
The couple have put up a $1,000 reward for Jack's safe return. Jack weighs approximately 12 pounds and has a cream-coloured coat. His distinguishing features are that he is missing all his teeth, and his tongue hangs out of the right side of his mouth.
Susan said she received a call from the groomer, Rozanna Newman, just before arriving to pick up the pups.
"She phoned us just before we arrived," said Susan. "I talked to her and said we鈥檙e almost there and I said how did it go and I could hear Jack in the background鈥� We got there and she and this other lady were out on the grounds, outside looking around. I said what鈥檚 wrong, and they both said, Jack鈥檚 gone. And Barry, my husband, said my knees buckled."
Rozanna is also distraught over the dog's disappearance. Explaining what happened prior, Rozanna said when she started working on Jack, she discovered the dog to be "difficult to groom."
"I don鈥檛 like tying and tethering the dog while I groom them," said Rozanna. "A lot of groomers will tie their back ends and tie their front ends and strap them all in. I don鈥檛 like doing that because it often stresses them out. So I phoned my assistant and asked her to come in and hold and cuddle the dog while I was grooming it so it would be less stressed."
When the dogs were done, Rozanna called Susan and Barry to let them know and then began her end-of-day cleanup.
"My assistant stayed to help me clean and she opened the back door and took two steps to dump the garbage in the bin," said Rozanna. "The dog snuck out behind her."
The back door to the grooming studio leads into Rozanna's husband's workshop and, unfortunately, its door was open as her husband had been going in and out while doing some work.
"It just happened to be an accumulation of bad things happening at the wrong time 鈥� it never should have happened," said Rozanna. "I don鈥檛 normally open that door, but my assistant doesn鈥檛 have the experience to know not to open any doors when the dogs are there.
"It was just tragic, and awful and we鈥檙e both feeling terrible about it."
Rozanna said she offered to accommodate Barry and Susan as they searched for the dog, and has kept a dog bed and food out for Jack.
Susan said she and Barry searched the remainder of the day until it was dark, and then were back at it the following day, with the help of five others. One reported sighting, near 60th Street and 20th Avenue NE, gave the couple hope, but they were unable to locate Jack.
"We are old people 鈥� I am very old and it鈥檚 exhausting to be out there," said Susan. "We slept in the car with the door open, the car running, because we were told that might help鈥�"
So far the search has been primarily in the areas of Canoe and south Raven, and the couple estimates more than 100 person-hours have gone into the effort.
Rozanna has provided the couple with insurance papers and said she's offered to pay the reward money and any expenses the couple accumulated from the search.
"I am keeping responsibility cost-wise and responsibility-wise, but there鈥檚 nothing I can do to fix a broken heart."
Susan said any money received through insurance would be split between an animal rescue and those who helped search for Jack.
"Thanks to all who worked so long and hard to find Jack鈥�," said Barry. "It was so very kind of you all to take the time to help us in this tragic situation. Also, thank you to all of you who took the time to talk to us and show us such compassion. So many prayers were shared with us as we knocked on doors and called his name."
Susan said she and Barry continue to search for Jack, though not with the same intensity, "just going around the same areas, stop the car, walk around, put our scent out as much as possible is what we鈥檙e trying to do."
"While there will be insurance money, nothing will fill the void," said Barry. "Our hearts are broken and now we must find a way to carry on without our beloved pet."
Should anyone see Jack, Susan and Barry ask that you don't try to approach the dog but call them as soon as possible at 250-515-6240, or 250-835-0161.
