The owner of Otis, a dog from Yellowknife, says she is increasingly worried as he has now been missing for more than a month.
Otis – a Havanese mixed with a Bichon Frisé and a Poodle – disappeared in October and, despite repeated searches, posters and community support, he has not been found.
Holly Cassell described Otis as a small, white dog with brown ears and a single brown patch near his tail. According to her, he is skittish and sensitive – a result of growing up during the pandemic, when his interactions with people were limited.
Cassell recalled a time when a man tried to bring Otis into his truck but the dog panicked and ran straight into Jackfish Lake instead. She said he was so terrified that “he’d rather jump in the water than go in the truck.”
“We would take him on walks but he didn’t meet any people, really, so he wasn’t socialized very well and he’s really scared of men,” she told Cabin Radio.
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Cassell left for Winnipeg early on October 9 with the dogs in her sister-in-law’s care. Otis, though, escaped the house.
While a white dog was spotted near the intersection of Lamoureux Road and Hordal Road, the family has visited the area several times without being able to find him. Cassell followed up on tips in the first week after he went missing, but sightings stopped after the initial days.
She returned to Yellowknife on November 1, by which point there were no new leads.
Cassell said Otis enjoys roast beef and carrots and has a calm, well-mannered nature. Larger dogs can make him nervous if they approach too quickly, but he usually stays relaxed and avoids trouble when other animals are gentle and non-threatening, she said.
“We have three cats at home and I’m sure they miss him because he used to play with all the cats all the time,” she said.
“This is his first time and I don’t know where he would go. He doesn’t usually run away anywhere and when he does, he usually stays in the yard or very close to our yard and doesn’t go very far.”
