Disappearing Daisy: Dog missing from Vancouver shows up in Winnipeg

Daisy rubbed her face on the Hug Rug at Winnipeg's Richardson International Airport with a big dog smile after sitting in the arms of her owner for the first time in three years.

The canine celebration came after the dog disappeared from its home in Vancouver in September 2013, owner Terra McCabe said.

How Daisy ended up in wandering lost on the streets of Winnipeg years later is still a mystery.

"I have no idea what she's been going through the last three years," McCabe said.

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On Dec. 7,Daisy was picked up, looking thin and dishevelled, and brought to a Winnipeg veterinarian clinic where they found her identifying tattoo. She was transferred to the City of Winnipeg Animal Services Agency where the detective work began, says chief operating officer Leland Gordon.

"It was an old tattoo and it traced back to this woman who lives in Vancouver," Gordon said.

They called a veterinarian clinic in Vancouver and after many more phone calls and emails, Daisy's family was located.

McCabe almost missed the good news.Her family was supposed to be heading to Mexico early in the morning but their flight had been delayed. However, that delay meant McCabe was home when word about Daisy came in.

"I never thought I'd see her again. She looks like she is in pretty good condition but she's a little bit thinner," McCabe said.

On Friday, she flew to Winnipeg for the 13-year-old hound's homecoming journey.

"It was overwhelming because I haven't seen her for three years. She looks different," McCabe said holding back tears. "Now that I'm holding her and looking at her closer I know it's her."