Senior says elderly dog was taken at Strathcona community garden

Bailey the dog is grey with a short, stubby tail. As her hair grows in between groomings, it sometimes turns white at the ends. Rosamond Bell/Submitted

A Vancouver senior whose dog has been missing for nearly three months believes her beloved companion was taken from her, and is appealing to the public to help find her pet.

Rosamond Bell, 76, was gardening in the Strathcona Community Garden in July with her dog Bailey when the pup mysteriously disappeared.

“She wasn’t attacked by a coyote or eagle nor did she wander off to die or get lost. No, she disappeared. I was there,” Bell wrote in an email to Daily Hive. “Here one minute, gone the next!”

Bailey is 14 years old and weighs about 13 pounds, and according to Bell is sweet and friendly.

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The community garden is close to the homeless encampment in Strathcona Park, and Bell worries someone may have picked her up.

Bell has scoured the neighbourhood, put up hundreds of missing dog posters, posted on missing dog websites, and contacted veterinary clinics and animal shelters searching for Bailey. So far, there’s no sign of her.

“One day is an eternity when you are suffering the loss of a beloved pet, a furry family member, the only being that loves you unconditionally, listens to you no matter what,” she said. “It feels like I am missing a part of my heart and it hurts.”