A pair of St. Bernard-cross puppies saved from a cliff face in the Mission area will be adopted by their rescuers.
The four-month-old pups were heard whimpering and howling through the valley near Stave Lake, and Mission Search and Rescue stepped up to rescue them on Sunday.
Rodger Williams was one of the people involved in the unique mission and said the dogs were excited to see them, adding that one of them fell into the jacket he was holding.
“I’ve been thinking about getting a dog for a while and it just literally fell into my arm,” Williams told CTV News Friday. “I think I just knew right away that if there was an opportunity to adopt her, then I would.”
That opportunity came when no owner came forward to claim the animals after the SPCA’s mandatory four-day holding period.
Krista Shaw with the Maple Ridge branch of the SPCA said the two sisters have generated interest from across the country and the organization has received an “overwhelming” number of applications.
But in the end, Shaw said the choice was an easy one to make.
“Just knowing the role that the Mission Search and Rescue has played the lives of these puppies, we just felt that it was really important that they stayed with them,” she said.
Williams will be taking home the pup he rescued, which he is naming Fern. He says he has the perfect property for Fern to enjoy the outdoors.
“We’ve got lots of room for her to play and wear off her energy,” he said.
Fern’s sister is being adopted by another SAR member, and she’s being named Maple.
Even though the two siblings are going to different homes, Williams said there will be plenty of playdates.
“They spent four days up there in the cliff and they probably have a very tight bond. I’m sure they’d love to see each other. I know I’d love for them to stay to connected,” he said.
Williams said he’s already getting requests from other SAR members who’d like to see the rambunctious puppies, so some of those hangouts will no doubt be at the clubhouse, where they’ve already become Mission SAR’s unofficial mascots.
