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A ridgeback-crossed-rottweiler dog is the star of an epic and heartwarming story that could have turned out to be a tragic tale.
Sadie, described as a typically obedient dog, was suddenly spooked by something on Thursday, May 17, and bolted from her yard on the corner of Richter Street and Rose Avenue.
Chase and her boyfriend, Mason Rice, realized the dog had disappeared at approximately 6:30 p.m. and left the house to begin what would turn out to be a 2-hour endeavour in pursuit of the scared pup.
They hopped into their car and searched downtown around their residence, recruiting a second car to help on the way, spotting Sadie on weaving down Ethel Street.
The group chased after her, reaching Okanagan Lake near Francis Ave. where they found that Sadie had swam a fair distance into the lake.
"By the time we got to the beach, she had already swam way out past the buoys," said Chase.
While Chase and her companions called for Sadie, Rice swam frantically after the distraught dog.
The commotion attracted attention from the surrounding neighbours who offered their kayaks and canoes in an effort to help them find their panicked pup.
In a jovial turn of events, Rice caught the attention of two outriggers piloted by groups from the Kelowna Paddle Centre (KPC) that were holding an irregularly scheduled training session. They immediately answered his calls for help.
"It's kind of an unwritten rule on the water: if someone is in trouble you help them out," said one of the paddlers, who chose to remain anonymous as not to detract from the group effort made by the KPC.
Chase called Animal Search and Rescue while a variety of kayaks, canoes and outriggers scanned the water for a golden head bobbing atop the wake.
After around 20 minutes of searching, the five non-motorized watercrafts converged in a circle, and Chase hoped from the shoreline that they had found her beloved Sadie.
The flotilla found an exhausted Sadie trying her best to stay afloat after nearly 45 minutes spent doggy paddling her way around Okanagan Lake.
"I couldn't believe it. That dog swam for a long way, [she] was way off-shore. When we got there [she] was tired - really tired," said the KPC paddler.
Unable to bring the Sadie into the boat, one KPC paddler held Sadie like a sidecar along the side of the canoe while the others paddled her back to shore to a beyond thankful Chase.
"I was completely overwhelmed with the [number of] people that helped pull her out of the water, approximately 16 people that had helped, including people who lent us their canoes on Francis," Chase explained.
During this wild dog chase, Rebekah McCallum, part-owner of Sadie, was on a plane to Vancouver from Thailand.
McCallum received the call about Sadie’s entire escape and retrieval after landing in Vancouver.
"Oh my goodness, what a nightmare. But it's quite the story," she said.
"They couldn't believe that she was still swimming. Even the one paddler said, 'Honestly, we thought she was gone.'”
The family of Rebekah and Aaron McCallum, as well as Amanda Chase and her boyfriend Mason Rice, brought Sadie a batch of cookies and a card to a KPC open house to express their gratitude for the heroic actions of the paddlers.
Despite potentially saving the dog's life, the KPC paddler felt it wasn't an act of heroism, just the right thing to do.
"It wasn't a big deal on our part, it was just more paddling around, found the dog and brought him home," said the paddler.
The two couples were blown away by the local Kelowna philanthropy that took place on the beach that night.
"It could have turned out a lot differently, so, we are very happy to have our dog back," said Chase.
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