Rod is a 10-month-old Bernese Mountain dog that was placed in a foster home because he had trust issues with humans. The affectionate pooch is very shy and tends to keep away from strangers. The shelter staff knew he needed help so they sent him to Miriam and Hugh Campbell.
The couple are foster volunteers that have many experiences with dogs like Rod. They have taught numerous pups how to socialize and interact with both humans and dogs.
Runaway dog
As expected, Rod eventually came out of his shell under their care. He felt more comfortable about himself and had grown confident. Unfortunately, this newfound confidence gave him the courage to run away from home when their front door was accidentally left open.
Hugh and Miriam tried to chase him, but the dog was too fast. They just couldn’t keep up with him, and he was soon out of their sight. The couple called their family and friends to help look for the gentle giant. One of the first to arrive was their daughter Ellie.
Ellie had grown very close to the dog and immediately got worried for her furry friend. She went online to post some pictures and even asked his husband, Marc Methot, a former hockey player, to ask his followers on Twitter for help.
As soon as the Twitter post went online, his almost 70,000 followers responded. All those that lived near the area shared the post and started looking for the lost pooch. In just a few minutes, sightings of the dog were coming in.
Some, like Ottawa Police Constable Stephen Kirtz, got close to the runaway dog, but they could not catch him. He was confused about the situation, and his fear of humans kept him on the run.
When nighttime came, nobody could find him anymore.
Safe and sound
The next day, everyone started looking for Rod again. Logan Blaire and his girlfriend went to the train tracks to check if the pooch was there, And sure enough, they saw Rod hiding behind a fence. They didn’t want to approach him as he might bolt away, so they called the foster parents. After several minutes, the couple arrived and were overjoyed to see that Rod was still there.
As soon as the worried owners called out to Rod, the dog started wagging his tail and ran towards them. The poor pooch must have been so scared of his overnight adventure that he felt relieved to see his foster family.
In the end, everyone was happy that the dog was finally found and is safe.
Source: Ottawa Citizen via Youtube
