Penny’s Story
This is the touching story of Penny, a senior Boxer with a heart condition, who touched lives everywhere, and spawned a human collaboration from 3 provinces: British Columbia, Alberta & us in Ontario.
Ken, a BC SPCA Special Provincial Officer for South Okanagan region, was walking Penny early evening Oct 31st near his home in Penticton. In a matter of seconds, their lives changed as a car came barreling down the street and hit Ken. He was thrown 6’ off & Penny’s leash/collar slipped off during the accident, and she took off!
She first ran into her own backyard, but then was very spooked by EMS vehicles and ran off in panic. 😞
No one knew if she was injured & what the extent of those injuries might be.
Ken was quickly whisked to hospital, and Penny was seen shortly after taking off heading northward. They were both alive, thank goodness, but poor Penny was lost & not seen again that night. This is a region with lots of wildlife, including coyotes & cougars.
An intense search for Penny began immediately, spearheaded by the BC SPCA of South Okanagan Similkameen Branch Manager Carolyn. Flyers went out everywhere, people spoken to, and local newspaper & Global News were reached for further awareness. Rose, who was previously ACO for Penticton & Summerland but now resides in Alberta, lent a big helping hand behind the scenes. We were contacted as well for consultation, via a mutual friend, as Penny hadn’t been seen in several days.
Large neon posters went up, searches carried on daily, some brought their dogs hoping to catch her scent. But Penny was a very skittish girl with a sad past; she had been found 2yrs ago wandering a logging road in a remote area outside Kamloops, emaciated with lacerations on her legs. At that time, she was brought to Penticton SPCA, treated, and adopted by Ken. She trusted very few people.
Some potential sightings were reported, and unusual barking also. We mapped it all & saw a pattern indicating that if her, she was headed back towards home. On Nov 17th, she was seen at the back of a property off a dead end street, approx 1.5kms from home! Carolyn & Teresa went out to set a trap on the property next day, and left. But Carolyn had to return a few minutes later to take a video of the setup for us, and scent. She approached the area very quietly, scented, started filming the setup, then suddenly heard rustling in the bushes. Unsure what it was, she then saw Penny appear!!
Penny recognized Carolyn & went straight to her! 😀❤️
Penny was reunited with Ken, brought tears to our eyes. She was seen by a vet next day, she had lost 5kgs, had a couple ulcers in her eyes, and her heart was ok! She was put on antibiotics & pain medication, and monitored. Penny made a complete recovery!
Ken & Carolyn wish to thank so many people, the entire community for their help & support, all volunteers who helped search, flyer & poster, Teresa who was out every single day, Meghan who worked tirelessly with posters/flyers, Susan who put in a lot of time out there, Debbie who spread the word online, Gina who called in the critical sighting, and so many others that is impossible to remember all. Heartfelt thank you to Rose from Alberta, who provided constant support online & behind the scenes, you kept Carolyn sane. For everyone else involved, if your name is not mentioned, know that your contribution was noted & sincerely appreciated!
Team Penny is what we like to call it😊
Welcome back home Penny! 🏡❤️
Time for you & Ken to heal together.