(UPDATE: Dec. 17 @ 9:20 am) – A dog that spent the last three days wandering around the Coquihalla Highway about 12 kilometres south of Merritt has been found.

The newly-rescued shepherd cross, who is just six months old, slipped out of his harness and bolted away from the Comstock Road exit on Saturday. 

After three days of searching, his owners Colton Bailie and Sydney Schoenfelder confirmed that the dog had been found this morning.

"We have located and captured our dog. Thank you for everyone’s help. Much appreciated we cant thank you guys enough," Bailie wrote on Facebook.

"We found him using our dog, tracked him hiding under a tree along the highway this morning."

Bailie didn't clarify where the puppy was found along the highway, but on Monday the animal was spotted within a kilometre of where he went missing, so he was likely still in that general area.

The unfortunate incident began as Bailie and Schoenfelder were transporting their new family member to his new home, a mere four hours after they picked him up.

After three days spent wandering without food in subzero temperatures, the dog is lucky to have loving new owners who didn't give up the search.

(UPDATE: Dec. 16 @ 2:05 pm) – There's a bit of good news regarding the newly rescued dog that went missing along the Coquihalla Highway (Hwy 5) on Saturday.

The latest update is that the six-month-old shepherd cross was spotted a few hundreds metres north of the Comstock Road exit, where he initially went missing, around 1:30 pm today.

Colton Bailie, the dog's owner, says the man who spotted the animal tried to grab him, but the frightened and skittish dog took off up the hill back towards the Comstock Road exit.

Drivers in that area are urged to keep an eye out for the missing dog and slowing down in the area as a precaution would be a smart idea as well.

From what NowMedia knows, the dog doesn't have a name yet.

We will update this story as more information becomes available.

(Original story: Dec. 16 @ 10:15 am) – The search is on for a six-month-old shepherd cross who has been missing since Saturday.

Sydney Schoenfelder and Colton Baillie were bringing their newly rescued dog home when she stopped at the Comstock Road exit on the Coquihalla Highway (Hwy 5), about 12 kilometres south of Merritt.

While stopped, the dog “got scared and bolted” from the area, according to a post from Angel’s Animal Rescue in Merritt.

“His best chance is a live trap,” says the Facebook post. “Not likely he will approach. We are asking for sightings. Thanks.”

Schoenfelder commented on the post saying that the dog is very skittish and she only had him for about four hours before the unfortunate circumstances happened.

The couple spent the rest of their weekend looking for the dog, but the search has come up empty handed.
 

Multiple commenters on the Angel's Animal Rescue post have reported to have seen the dog in the area around 10 pm on Saturday, but that’s the last known sighting. 

A Peachland resident claims to have seen him in her backyard around 2:30 pm on Sunday, but that report is unconfirmed and seems unlikely given the distance the dog would have had to travel in 16 hours.

Anyone travelling around the BC Interior, especially in the area that the dog initially went missing, is urged to keep their eyes peeled for signs of the missing animals.

Due to the dog’s skittish nature, you’re asked to not approach him and instead call Schoenfelder at 604-819-5095.