Dog rescued by search and rescue crews after being abandoned during White Rock Lake wildfire evacuation

A dog that was thrown out of a vehicle last night during an evacuation along Westside Road was rescued by Central Okanagan Search and Rescue crews.

Central Okanagan Search and Rescue crews were helping with an evacuation of residents along Westside Road due to the White Rock Lake wildfire and had gone to a home in the La Casa Cottages area to inform a homeowner of the evacuation order, Aug. 6.

“As the team continued through the neighbourhood they noticed the man leaving in his vehicle, only to stop 100 yards up the road and throw an older dog from his vehicle before continuing out of the resort and south down Westside Road,” according to a COSAR press release.

Crews managed to wrangle the dog and bring her back to the command base where she was given food, water and the nickname Smokey.

Smokey was then brought to veterinarian Moshe Oz at Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital.

"Dr. Oz's been great during the evacuations. He's always willing to go above and beyond to help people out," said COSAR search manager Duane Tresnich, in the press release.

Smokey is an older female mixed-breed with no collar or tattoo.

"It's my understanding that after Dr. Oz checks Smokey over, a suitable home will be found. I know these are incredibly stressful times, but what happened is unacceptable," he said.

The White Rock Lake wildfire is currently mapped at 55,000 hectares in size and has caused numerous evacuation orders and alerts in the multiple jurisdictions.

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