The animal shelter staff at the Weyburn Humane Society are busy this week ensuring cold animals are brought inside to safety.

From stray cats to a not-so-little 'littlest hobo', they have truly had their hands full.

"We are finding lots of cats right now, especially with them seeking shelter for warmth," said WHS board president Kaylee Vanbeselaere. "So people need to check their vehicles, give a big tap on the hood before they leave. You'll find them there. There is a lot of strays. They're finding any warmth they can get, anywhere."

At one event on the weekend, two staff members appeared with a cat kennel and two kinds of cat food to ensure they could lure a cold, scared kitty out from under someone's porch. The animal was detected by the homeowner's own household pets.

Vanbeseleare said the shelter staff are 'pros' at these kinds of tasks, as it's all about getting the animals to safety, especially in this vulnerable cold.

For this reason, the big guns are being deployed in this extreme cold to find a Great Pyrenees dog, whom the shelter staff were going to name 'Athena'.

That is, before she made a break for it.

The shelter staff are well aware of the big white dog who's out on the loose. In fact, a post on social media has been making its rounds to asssure people.

"We have been making people aware that we are on top of it," she said. "We've had so much help, which we really, really appreciate."

Shelter Manager Colleen Morrice said the animal was most evidently dumped, and she seems to be waiting for her owners, having hung around a shipping yard southeast of Weyburn for about month prior to her first meeting shelter staff.

The post on social media reads:

Thank you so much to everyone showing their love of dogs by helping us find the Great Pyrenees. Unfortunately now she is just running scared because there is so many people trying to capture her . I know everyone really wants to bring her in out of the cold, but running her in this cold fridgid weather is not good . She does have a shelter hole and feed stations set out . She did great at our shelter with all of the staff so we are hoping she will eventually not be so scared and come to us. Please call when you see her, but please try not to chase her as she is very shy and timid . I would hate to see her run out of the ditch onto the highway infront of traffic again out of fear . Again i appreciate all of your help ! Calls are best, she has a warm sleep spot that she has used for the last 4 to 5 weeks so she knows how to keep herself safe . Thank you !

Vanbeseleare said chasing this dog is not advisable.

"It's just getting more and more scared, and we're chasing it further and further, so it's not going to want to come. But we ask that if you have sightings that you'd please report it to us, instead of chasing it," she requested.

"While she was in the shelter at one point, she became very trusting of our staff, so we're hoping that one of our staff members, that she is trusting of, can catch her, because she is more familiar with them and their scent and everything like that," she added.

 

According to Vanbeseleare, Athena got away from them during a 'dog shuffle' at the shelter, while they were in the midst of dealing with a plumbing issue in their 'deteriorating building'.

"We were shuffling the dogs around to the front space where our desk is to meet a volunteer, I believe, and our front door didn't latch properly and she got past and bolted," she explained.

To echo the social media post, Vanbeseleare said the loose dog in the extreme cold is not as much of a cause for concern as some might think it to be.

"They're very smart dogs, and these Great Pyrenees are meant to be outside, so that helps," she iterated. "I know it's minus 50, but because they're used to being around cattle and everything, they're used to this weather."

So, anyone who spots a big white dog on the loose should inform the shelter of its whereabouts, but success is impending, given the qualified, trained, and familiarly-scented staff on the trail of Weyburn's own littlest hobo.

Related story:  Police Ensure Cold Dog is Safe