Wednesday Zen Moment: Dogwalker Annette Poitras, lost in woods, gets reunion with dogs who never left her side

It was an emotional reunion for dogwalker Annette Poitras when the dogs who stayed by her side during two days lost in the woods went to visit her in the hospital.

Poitras also went with her dog to thank Coquitlam Search and Rescue for finding her after she got injured.

Poitras has been recovering since her ordeal last week when she fell in a heavily wooded area by Coquitlam, British Columbia. She spent two days out in the woods as rescuers looked for her.

On Nov 20th, Poitras, a trained dogwalker, set off with two of her clients’ dogs, Roxy and Bubba, and her own dog Cloe for what was supposed to be a two-hour walk. But during the walk, Poitras slipped on a wet log and fell. She lost consciousness and when she came to, she realized she was so hurt that she couldn’t walk and could barely move.

Poitras didn’t have a cell phone with her and it began to rain heavily over the two days she was lost. Search and rescuers finally found her two days later and were able to airlift her out of the heavily wooded area.

Poitras was released Tuesday. On Monday, one of the dogs Roxy, a boxer, came to visit her in the hospital. Roxy had continued to bark for help during the time Poitras was incapacitated and the dogwalker credits Roxy’s barking for getting rescuers alerted to her location.

Cloe, a collie, stayed by Poitras’ side throughout the ordeal while Bubba, a puggle, had wandered off in search of food.

Outside the hospital, Poitras said when she regained consciousness that first day, nightfall had come. She wasn’t certain how long she had been out for but she was certain of one thing: that she wasn’t going to leave without the dogs.

“I wasn’t getting off that mountain without those dogs,” Poitras said. “No way, no way, no way.”

Her throat still sore from the ordeal, Poitras said she was glad to be alive.  She thanked the search and rescue for finding her and the community, including strangers, who went to help look for her.

She said she’ll still be a dogwalker. “That’s my life. I love dogs. Love them, love them, love them.”

 

 

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Peg Fong is also in recovery from newspapers

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