Survives seven days in the wild and being hit by a car

By Moya Dillon

OSHAWA -- A small poodle that was lost in early August has been reunited with her grateful owner, thanks to the efforts of an unknown Good Samaritan.

"She's a miracle," owner Leigh Costain said of Sugar, her white Maltese poodle. "I'm so happy to have her back, I'm on Cloud 9 still."

Sugar ran away Aug. 4 from an Oshawa home Ms. Costain was visiting. The poodle was spotted several times by motorists along Hwy. 401 but wasn't found until Aug. 11, when a passing motorist noticed a group of children huddled around an injured dog. The dog had just been hit by a car and wasn't breathing, but the woman who happened upon them performed mouth-to-mouth to revive Sugar and then brought her to a nearby vet hospital.

"She is a beautiful angel," Ms. Costain said of the woman, who she only knows as Janice.

When Janice phoned to tell Ms. Costain Sugar had been found, she told Ms. Costain she had been so determined to save Sugar because she'd just lost her own beloved dog and didn't want anyone else to have to go through that.

"When Leigh was talking to her both of them were just crying on the phone," said Ms. Costain's father, Gene. "Since she lost her own dog, it felt so good for her to help Leigh."

Mr. Costain, who travelled to Oshawa from his home in Tampa, Fla., to help search for Sugar, had ample praise for all the people who rushed to help them.

"I've been away from Canada for 12 years, so I guess I forgot what Canadians are like," he said. "They are universally helpful. From the children in the area to the hotel staff where we were staying, everyone helped in some way, from joining in searches to just providing comfort."

Ms. Costain said Sugar is doing well, although she's still suffering from a mild concussion and is wary around other animals. The Costains believe the dog travelled through a ravine in Oshawa to where she was eventually hit in Whitby, travelling more than 22 kilometres in the seven days she was missing.

"I can kind of compare it to winning the lottery," Ms. Costain said of finding Sugar. "I never wanted to give up hope, I had a feeling she was out there somewhere and she was. She's a lucky dog."