Chilliwack woman needs help finding injured dog lost near Kamloops

A lost dog has been spotted injured in the woods near Kamloops, but his Chilliwack owner can't find anyone to go get him. 

Yesterday morning, Lisa Marucio stopped to let her dogs out to pee at a brake check between the Inks Lake Road exits on the Coquihalla. 

After returning the dogs to the car, she resumed her journey toward Merritt, without realizing that one of her dogs, Pepe, had escaped from the open passenger door, shortly before she departed.

By the time she returned to the brake check, 40 minutes had passed and she couldn't find him.

Area where Pepe was last seen, at a brake check on the Coquihalla Highway. | Credit: GOOGLE MAPS

Marucio was told by an area resident that Pepe was seen injured about 16 kilometres south of the brake check near Lac Le Jeune Road, but ran into the woods when approached.

Marucio's daughter is a Kamloops resident and has been looking for Pepe with no luck.

"I can't find anyone to go get him for me," Marucio said, who has since returned to her home in Chilliwack.

"I called the Animal Control and I called the SPCA, and they said because it's outside city limits, they won't go and retrieve him."

Pepe, submitted by owner. | Credit: SUBMITTED / Lisa Marucio

Marucio rescued Pepe from Cuba when he was a puppy.

"He was probably a couple days away from death when I rescued him," she said.

"He was living on the beach all by himself… he had no fur, he was filled with ticks."

In the three years since, Pepe made a full recovery, is very friendly and loves children.

Marucio is worried about him and hopes he can be found soon.

"If there are any young people with quads, maybe they can go take a look in there," she said.

He is a light brown mixed breed with short hair and has an orange collar.

Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts can send an email to be connected with the owner.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Brie Welton or call (250) 819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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Brie Welton

Brie is a recent graduate from UBC Okanagan where she studied English and French while managing the campus newspaper. After working as an intern reporter for the summer of 2019 in her home-town of Kelowna, she rejoined the InfoNews team in March 2020 and moved to Kamloops.
Her interests range from food features and artist profiles to politics, crime and minority issues. She has a passion for story-telling and aspires to one day become a full-time court reporter.