Lost dog found alive after a week in extreme cold

A pet Basset hound belonging to an immunocompromised cancer survivor in Beaumont was found alive after being outside and missing for eight days.

The owner was devastated upon realizing the escape, worried about the dog's exposure to unfamiliar surroundings, potential danger and the harsh weather.

"Knowing that he's never been outside, and he's not used to seeing a lot of people or even other dogs, my heart just basically sank. And I'm like, 'Oh my God, the immediate thought was, is he gonna get hit? Is he gonna get stolen? What about the cold?' I was just devastated immediately upon realizing he escaped," said Teresa Nisperos, the dog owner.

Concerned and anxious, she and her family turned to Facebook, posting about their missing pet after 12 hours.

The initial post gained quick attention, leading to a second one on the sixth day.

"Well, the post that I did on Facebook, the first one kind of spread like wildfire immediately, and then we decided to post again on the sixth day after he went missing, and people were just sharing nonstop," said Nisperos.

Community support was evident with around 15 vehicles present during the search.

After a week in extreme cold, the family received a tip that led to Gus being found alive.

"I got a phone call from my husband stating that the owner of one of the houses spotted him again on his property. So then I drove immediately towards the house," said Nisperos.

Emotionally expressing gratitude, the mother acknowledged the community's collective efforts, including helpful neighbours, for the heartwarming reunion with the lost dog.

"We are from the Philippines, so we don't have family over here, and having everyone rally around and behind us finding Gus felt like we had our families from back home here in Canada."

The mother says despite challenging conditions, the dog is doing remarkably well, showing resilience with minor nose lesions from exposure to the cold.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti.