(Update @ 10.30 a.m. on Thursday): A Kelowna boxing club owner has been reunited with his pit bull after she went missing last Friday night.
Geoff Lawrence got Kali back after a 2.30 a.m. tip from a caller this morning.
He said he was "chasing leads" all night following the publication yesterday of a KelownaNow story about Kali's disappearance.
Kali is "very happy and healthy," he said, explaining that she "walked right past her food bowl" when she returned home.
Geoff said he was "elated" to have his best friend back, adding: "I don't know who I hugged more, the dog or the guy who brought her back."
He explained that those who attended the morning class at his boxing club, Los Gatos Locos, were "all over her" and delighted to see her home.
Kali's feline friend Pesto, meanwhile, was equally happy to see the dog return.
"They had their moment," Geoff said. "Pesto jumped on her right away."
Kali and Pesto, he added, then hopped into his king-size bed to mark the reunion.
Geoff also explained that he kept his promise of "no questions asked" when his beloved dog was returned.
(Original story @ 3 p.m. on Wednesday): The owner of a popular Kelowna dog believed to have been stolen has appealed to whoever has her, pleading: “I just want her back”.
Geoff Lawrence, who runs Los Gatos Locos boxing club, said he lost his “best friend” when pit bull Kali went missing last Friday night.
He believes she must have been taken by someone because he has heard nothing despite posting a hundred flyers and reporting her disappearance to the SPCA and RCMP.
“Everyone who trains at the club is beside themselves,” Geoff explained.
“She’s friends with everyone. She’s a beautiful dog.”
Geoff was away for a fight when she went missing, but he said the “very responsible” people who were caring for her are in no way at fault.
She escaped when they answered the door, he said.
Kali then ran down the street, Geoff explained, “playing tag” with one of the dogsitters.
Despite chasing after her for 30 minutes, Kali’s pursuer was ultimately outrun. She was last seen in the Gordon Drive/Lawson Avenue area.
“She’s so fit – she runs 7½ to 10 kilometres every day,” Geoff said.
The saddest part of the story for Geoff, however, is that he thinks somebody must have taken her in.
“Whoever has her should be ashamed,” he said. “She’s clearly not a stray.
“Someone maybe was being generous at first, taking care of her, but then fell in love with her.”
He added: “I just want her home. Whoever has her – no judgement, I just want her back.”
Her absence is also being felt by her own best friend, a cat named Pesto.
“[Pesto’s] been mewling at me all the time,” Geoff said. “She seems upset by it, too.”
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