‘International illegal alien:’ U.S. dog evades capture for weeks before being safely sent home – Oliver/Osoyoos News
Photo: Rita Kessell
Barley the dog evades capture.
“That’s the first dog that I know of that became an international illegal alien.”
As an animal lover, Rita Kessell has helped rescue many lost critters. But she describes Barley the Anatolian shepherd who escaped across the U.S.-Canada border from Washington to the South Okanagan this month as an elusive one.
Barley is from Keller, Washington and has a history of wandering. He escaped from his new owner’s yard a couple of weeks ago, resulting in a call-out for help on social media.
Many passersby spotted him walking up and down Hwy 97, across the border, in both directions.
After a long two-week journey, Barley was finally reunited with his owner on Tuesday. But not before rising to Facebook infamy for his long trek spanning kilometres and his knack for evasion.
“I worked on catching him for about 11 days total,” Kessell said. “But my trap, the biggest trap that I had, wasn’t long enough for him to trigger it.”
Photos of the dog soon appeared in various Facebook groups across the South Okanagan. Barley was pictured with his black mask and tousled fur, with half of a green leash still attached to his collar.
“I think Barley heard the Okanagan was a great filming location and was doing some scouting for a new ‘The Incredible Journey,’” reads one Facebook comment.
“It’s kind of funny because [the owner] doesn’t follow any social media or anything, so she had no idea what a big story he had become,” Kessell said.
“I said, ‘Be prepared because he’s made kind of a big story,’ and she was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I was like, ‘You have a lot of people pulling for him.’”
Barley was spotted in communities all along Highway 97. Eventually, he was retrieved in the Summerland-Penticton area with the dedicated help of Penticton Animal Control and local Jacenda Byer, who has lengthy experience with rescued animals and who currently operates a mobile dog-grooming business, Petra’s Pawdicures.
Barley travelled at least 189 kilometres, which would take a person 41 hours to walk non-stop, according to Google Maps.
Those involved in his rescue think he walked much farther, covering roughly 48 kilometres per day, making occasional rest stops in people’s yards.
An escape artist
Barley has had a few different owners, and gone for a walk by himself many times before. Most recently, the dog had arrived to his newest human companion’s home on a ranch when he unexpectedly jumped the fence.
“She had him about 30 minutes before this happened, so they hadn’t even bonded yet,” Kessell said.
At one point, Kessell had the Houdini eating chicken from her hand. He wouldn’t get in the trap she set up but she managed to grab ahold of his leash. She reached down and that’s when he bit through the leash.
“He picked up the bag of chicken and ran off. And I was like, ‘I can’t believe what’s just happened,'” Kessell said.
The final rescue
In a public Facebook post, Byer shared that she had coordinated with Kessell during the attempts to track and capture Barley, and called the social media push to bring Barley home “magic.”
Byer was successful in getting Barley contained after patiently waiting for Barley to trust her.
“I want his story to be known for the joy [of a successful rescue]. I also want to remind us all that animals in our care need to know how we help them in emergencies. Ensure they can be leashed and loaded in a car for just-in-case moments,” Byer wrote.
“Ensure they know how to load in a kennel comfortably and safely.”
Despite reports of people seeing Barley get swiped by a car, the lucky canine pulled through his incredible journey safely and has been reunited with his family.
Barley now has a safe kennel with a roof, with coverings on all sides.
His owner says he is doing well at home.
Photo: Rita Kessell
Barley the dog.
Photo: Contributed
Barley heading home.
