V, an 11-year-old Alaskan Klee Kai that looks like a mini Husky, went missing in Richmond Hill on Oct. 14, 2023

Joshua Chang, National Post
Published Mar 21, 2024

An Ontario couple is offering a $15,000 reward for finding and returning their missing dog.

Newlyweds Grace Li and Wilton Woo, who live in Richmond Hill, north of Toronto, last saw V, their 11-year-old Alaskan Klee Kai, on the day of their wedding, on Oct. 14, 2023.

Li, who had both of her dogs present at the wedding ceremony, hired a sitter to watch them later that night during the celebrations. That evening, V escaped from the house she was staying in.

“The pet sitter opened her storm door to walk another dog,” she said. “My two dogs weren’t secured, so they both ran out the front door. She was only able to catch my boy, Ember, but my girl, V, is the one who’s still missing today.”

V, who looks like a mini Husky, was last spotted near Lake Wilcox in Oak Ridges, a community in Richmond Hill.

After the City of Richmond Hill forbade Li to put up lost dog posters due to anti-graffiti by-laws, she turned to social media to help spread the news of her beloved lost pet.

Five days after the wedding, Li and her sister-in-law used some footage of V from the ceremony to put together a TikTok video callout informing viewers of her dog’s disappearance and how others could help them find her.

Li said the video’s viewership, which immediately began gaining rapid traction, was largely due to support from the Perfect Match reality TV star Francesca Farago, who lives in Vancouver.

“Somehow she saw the video and made a comment on it,” she said. “That was really helpful for us in getting the first wave of people to know about V and her disappearance.”

Li originally set a $5,000 reward for V’s return on Nov. 8, 2023, but has since increased the reward to $15,000 as of Feb. 14, after discovering a 2008 CTV article, which reported on the successful retrieval of a pet dog after his owner offered the same reward.

The sum appears to be one of the largest rewards offered for a missing pet in Canada. Earlier this month, a Toronto cat owner offered $10,000 for the return of their missing feline.

Since Li is unable to put up any lost dog posters, she and others have resorted to going house-to-house and visiting pet facilities in hopes of getting closer to finding V.

“We’re starting from the area that she was last and expanding out from there to hopefully catch everyone in that area,” she said. “Aside from that, we’re continuing to reach out to all vet offices and pet-related businesses and any business who will listen to us and spread the word across the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).”

Li said the best way people can help is to take a picture or a video of any potential spotting.

“It’s really hard for folks to remember to take a photo or video right away especially if the pet is moving fast,” she said. “The most helpful thing anyone could do is if they see a pet and think it could be her, take a picture right away and send it to me.”

She said other ways locals can support the search are to spread awareness online, keep their Bluetooth connections on to receive a potential AirTag ping and keep their eyes open.

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/richmond-hill-missing-dog-v-15000-reward

Well, you know, I don't get it. You just got married. Why not set up an education fund for your future children. Who knows what happened to that dog. Sounds like it ran away like a delinquent.