Dear Editor:
Malibu was a three-year-old Great Pyrenees dog.
Her life began on a farm in Saskatchewan but her owner moved to the Okanagan and she was given to a Summerland family in late November.
Three days in her new home she escaped.
For the next nine months, this lovely white dog roamed Summerland. She’d be seen in Trout Creek then, in what seemed a blink of the eye, way out on Garnet Valley Road.
She had no interest in a human bond, and surprisingly, also did not appear to connect with livestock or other animals.
While we received a great many calls from people spotting Malibu, we never once received a complaint that she was causing problems. Not a complaint of tearing open garbage. Not a complaint of stealing food. Nothing.
People really tried hard to make friends with her but nothing seemed to work.
Finally I sent out a request via Facebook asking everyone to stop feeding her.
There was no doubt she was getting food from somewhere, but I had no idea where.
The problem with people being so kind is that she could not be attracted by food.
Try as we might, we just could not catch Malibu.
I had people tell me to leave her alone – she wasn’t hurting anyone. They loved to see the majestic Malibu roaming and living life the way she wanted to.
Some people could not be convinced of the dangers of the life she was living.
“So what!”, they’d say. “She’s happy”.
On Aug 3, late at night, I received the news I’d been expecting for nine months.
A dog had been hit by a vehicle on the highway. We rushed out right away but when we arrived, I could see that poor Malibu was suffering dreadfully and asked the police officer to put her down, to end her pain.
With a heavy, burdened heart, I made the announcement on Facebook, and by telephone, to everyone who loved Malibu. Frustrated – so completely frustrated — that the outcome was exactly as I knew it would be.
Devastated that none of us would ever feel the joy of “saving Malibu” and helping her into a new life.
There were a great many people in Summerland that truly loved Malibu. To them I extend my deepest condolences.
I am filled with gratitude for the people that cared enough to try catch her, to try to help me get her to safety.
To both sets of Malibu’s previous owners, I’m sorry it ended this way.
I’d like to thank those who donated toward Malibu’s cremation, and to Critteraid who is placing a granite stone on the Critteraid Farm, and where we will plant a tree in memory of her.
Rose Gingras
Dog Control Services
Summerland