Hunter and his dog missing in Northern BC ----> UPDATE: Dog Proved Not to be Murphy!
- Thread starter ArmedGinger
- Start date
I realize that the dogs in poor condition, but in such situations after dog is confirmed would they bring the dog back with search and rescue?
Dog knows where his owner is. Family and friends are in a heartbreaking situation and I hope they get answers.
Dog knows where his owner is. Family and friends are in a heartbreaking situation and I hope they get answers.
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Unless I’m mistaken, I think there is an earlier post stating the 200km is erroneous and the correct distance was 100km. Regardless, the dog has been wandering around for weeks. The distance he may have covered in doing so, 100 or 200km isn’t surprising as lost animals have been known to travel quite far. As for the DNA test, that’s the family’s prerogative, however, it doesn’t change the odds. Who knows. Maybe I’m mistaken, but, based on probability, I think that’s Murphy.
tactical lever
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Fox Creek, Alberta
Think the DNA test is more for verification to justify mobilization of a new search.
The stories that dog could tell…
DNA tests are a good way to be sure, but I can’t imagine not recognizing our family dog no matter how rough she looked. Same as I’d recognize either of my sons.
Dogs have unique “faces” just like humans… we know the folks who have our dog’s siblings from the same litter and their faces all look slightly different.
Aside from that, the family will know if it’s their dog by his response to them, their house, and his name.
DNA tests are a good way to be sure, but I can’t imagine not recognizing our family dog no matter how rough she looked. Same as I’d recognize either of my sons.
Dogs have unique “faces” just like humans… we know the folks who have our dog’s siblings from the same litter and their faces all look slightly different.
Aside from that, the family will know if it’s their dog by his response to them, their house, and his name.
FB post from Jim's partner:
We feel as though we have confirmed that the dog found near Wonowon is indeed Murphy, though it was a difficult identification due to his severe condition. He is badly injured, with major swelling, puncture wounds (possibly from a dog or coyote), a broken front paw, and scabs all over. His behavior has changed too, from a quiet, independent dog to one who barks at every sound and howls when I leave the room. After consulting with professionals who know him well, we’re certain it’s him. We also observed him on familiar routes, and his reactions were unmistakable.
We apologize for the delay in sharing this news. Given his physical and emotional trauma, we needed time to be 100% sure before confirming. It’s been a heartbreaking journey, and while we wish Murphy could share his story, we fear we couldn’t bear to hear it. He’s such a sweet boy, and he didn’t deserve any of this, nor did Jim.
Thank you all for your ongoing care and support; it has meant the world to us. The RCMP has been contacted and plans to conduct DNA testing, though it may take weeks. We’re hoping to find a quicker way to confirm the tests, so we can get Search and Rescue back out. Finding Murphy alive gives us hope that we might finally get answers about what happened to Jim.
We feel as though we have confirmed that the dog found near Wonowon is indeed Murphy, though it was a difficult identification due to his severe condition. He is badly injured, with major swelling, puncture wounds (possibly from a dog or coyote), a broken front paw, and scabs all over. His behavior has changed too, from a quiet, independent dog to one who barks at every sound and howls when I leave the room. After consulting with professionals who know him well, we’re certain it’s him. We also observed him on familiar routes, and his reactions were unmistakable.
We apologize for the delay in sharing this news. Given his physical and emotional trauma, we needed time to be 100% sure before confirming. It’s been a heartbreaking journey, and while we wish Murphy could share his story, we fear we couldn’t bear to hear it. He’s such a sweet boy, and he didn’t deserve any of this, nor did Jim.
Thank you all for your ongoing care and support; it has meant the world to us. The RCMP has been contacted and plans to conduct DNA testing, though it may take weeks. We’re hoping to find a quicker way to confirm the tests, so we can get Search and Rescue back out. Finding Murphy alive gives us hope that we might finally get answers about what happened to Jim.
IF it was foul play (and I am not saying it is), it might just be natural for the predator to just take the dog because he was attracted to it. S/he drives home100 km with the dog then the dog gets free or the person decides to not keep it. With the way our society has fallen, I would not be surprised if the perpetrator killed the owner just to get the dog.
If the owners themselves aren't sure, I would say that lowers the odds considerably. Goldens are a popular breed, there are almost a dozen on our street alone. And they are pretty conforming. I'm not saying it isn't Murphy, I'm saying it isn't out of the realm.of possibility that it is another lost golden.
Funny you say that... years ago I had a chocolate lab stolen, her rope was cut. The neighbor saw a green jeep parked out front. We put an ad on the local radio and it was picked up by a sister station in a town 120 km away. A guy heard it and called to say that his neighbor owned a green jeep and showed up with an unknown chocolate lab the same day she went missing. I called the local police and met an officer in the town and we went to the guys house together. He said he was visiting his grandmother in our town and found the dog roaming around... he couldn't explain being parked in front of our house or the cut rope (dog was in the backyard). The officer gave the guy a scare talked about charges etc... etc... but to me said we could never make it stick, just be happy to get the dog back. I bought the dog-knappers neighbors a Timmies gift card and thanked them profusely. I had driven to Minnesota to pick up that pup and had put hundreds of hours into training her... it would have been a big loss, and the kids had been crying about it for days.
That guy deserved a discreet visit from the Welcome Wagon.
..... something, something, ..... is a dish best served cold and much later........
The likelihood (if it’s the same dog) of the dog covering that distance is pretty slim. That would be ALL of 200km from where Jim’s truck was to where the golden was picked up. Not to mention the fact that he would have had to either swim the Peace river at -20*, OR swim the driftwood choked lake that is filling up above Site C…. And there probably isn’t a canine roaming the earth right now that could swim multiple kilometers while dodging ice blocks floating downstream after being starved for weeks in either of those scenarios.
More likely that someone found him, picked him up, and then he ended up where he was found somehow.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
These threads are always great as the different angles people come from really make you wonder what really happened.
Simply lost and the dog made it out
Murder
Victim willingly disappearing
Suicide
Wild animal attack
I’ll say one thing about the dog though. 5 weeks of unknown territory and malnourishment can drastically alter the appearance and behaviour. Years back we recovered a friend’s dog that was stolen for dog fighting about 4 weeks after he was taken.
He did not recognize any of us and wanted to kill us, his normally straight fur was sort of wavy, his “tail that never stops” was no longer wagging, and the cuddly teddy bear mentality had turned into an antisocial lunatic.
Took a few months to get him back to normal and euthanasia was considered a few times.
I would have bet everything I owned that it was not my buddies dog. But it would have been impossible for anyone to fake the missing dewclaw and scar on his face.
I can’t see a dog leaving its owner. Not a good sign if it his his dog.
Simply lost and the dog made it out
Murder
Victim willingly disappearing
Suicide
Wild animal attack
I’ll say one thing about the dog though. 5 weeks of unknown territory and malnourishment can drastically alter the appearance and behaviour. Years back we recovered a friend’s dog that was stolen for dog fighting about 4 weeks after he was taken.
He did not recognize any of us and wanted to kill us, his normally straight fur was sort of wavy, his “tail that never stops” was no longer wagging, and the cuddly teddy bear mentality had turned into an antisocial lunatic.
Took a few months to get him back to normal and euthanasia was considered a few times.
I would have bet everything I owned that it was not my buddies dog. But it would have been impossible for anyone to fake the missing dewclaw and scar on his face.
I can’t see a dog leaving its owner. Not a good sign if it his his dog.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
Multiple sources have said it was 100kms from where the guys truck was parked.
Break down the numbers to see how easily the dog could travel that far…
5 weeks is 35 days. That’s only 2.85km average per day. Not sure about dogs, but humans walk at 4-5 km/h. He’d only need to walk 30-60 mins per day to travel 100kms in 35 days.
That’d be very easy, even for a weak dog.
Break down the numbers to see how easily the dog could travel that far…
5 weeks is 35 days. That’s only 2.85km average per day. Not sure about dogs, but humans walk at 4-5 km/h. He’d only need to walk 30-60 mins per day to travel 100kms in 35 days.
That’d be very easy, even for a weak dog.
Yes a dog could easily travel that far. We had a med sized dog in the early 80s that ran away. He was found a week later, 25 miles out of town at the bottom of an open pit mine in northern manitoba. Poor guy was very thin and scared but lasted another 12 yrs after that.
I live in the middle of where Jim’s truck was found and where the dog was picked up.
Yes, it is about 100km between those two places, and if Jim’s companion had been a raven that would be feasible travel. However, that is a house dog, and he would have to had crossed the rivers. He couldn’t have straight lined it from one spot to another.
Yes, it is about 100km between those two places, and if Jim’s companion had been a raven that would be feasible travel. However, that is a house dog, and he would have to had crossed the rivers. He couldn’t have straight lined it from one spot to another.
tactical lever
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Fox Creek, Alberta
You know the terrain better than I, but it's possible to find bridges, or perhaps shallow spots. Maybe narrow spots bridged with deadfall?
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
I think you’re underestimating the drive and determination of dogs. The saying “work like a dog” didn’t just happen one day, it was formed by years and years of dogs exhibiting great drive, often working themselves to death.
Even if the dog zig zagged, which it certainly would have, covering 100-200kms in 35 days is most definitely possible. Changing total distance to 200kms or 5.7kms daily only increases daily walking time to still only 1-2 hours. Again, very easy for a large breed dog.
Golden retrievers were specifically bred for swimming in water and are cold hardy. Most people with them have a hard time keeping them out of the water, even in the middle of winter. The rivers are irrelevant.
It seems impossible, until you look at the numbers. Then it seems very easy to travel that far in 35 days.
More people trying to debunk the dogs resilience to survive than holding out hope for the guy who is missing.
What about that guy from Kamloops who spent 5 weeks in the bush and recently walked out of the bush ?
How about a parallel line with that stunned wonder what, two years back who was just outside of Port Renfrew BC spent again ..I forget how many weeks that was.
That one didnt show any signs of starvation or exposure to the elements.
What about that guy from Kamloops who spent 5 weeks in the bush and recently walked out of the bush ?
How about a parallel line with that stunned wonder what, two years back who was just outside of Port Renfrew BC spent again ..I forget how many weeks that was.
That one didnt show any signs of starvation or exposure to the elements.
