Duchess’ story now has a happy ending.
The five-year-old border collie mix left homeless in April after her owner, an elderly Red Deer man, passed away, has now found a new home with a family in Oshawa, Ont.
When the man’s body was found by his brother Duchess was still by his side, where she had remained for numerous walks, trips in the car and even as the man slept. Her emotional story, including her fostering by Innisfail resident Angela Privy and the Doggie Door’s Bob Mattice, was featured in the May 3 edition of the Innisfail Province.
Privy fostered the dog for nearly eight months with Mattice’s assistance. Duchess would spend the day at Mattice’s store before heading home with Privy in the evening.
In July, Privy’s mother, Karen Milton, and stepfather, Keith Milton, came for a visit and Duchess immediately took to the couple. The feeling seemed to be mutual.
“She’s a nice dog and she kind of took to us,” Keith said on the phone from Ontario. “We came back and we thought, ‘Why not?’ So we did and it’s worked out OK.”
The couple made the decision to adopt her in October and spent the next month making the arrangements.
Karen currently posts updates to a Facebook page dedicated to Duchess.
On Nov. 21, Mattice, Privy and All About Dogs owner Jenn Chik drove to Calgary to put Duchess on an Air Canada flight to Toronto.
“I never thought I’d be as emotional letting a dog go to another home ever,” Mattice recalled, calling the day Duchess left “a rough day” of waiting. “She’s such a sweetheart.”
Privy said the trio cried as Duchess’ kennel was taken away to be loaded on board the flight. They spent four hours waiting outside the airport’s perimeter fence until her flight took off.
“We wouldn’t leave until we knew she was safely in the air,” Privy said.
While Duchess weighed 115 pounds when she was found, Mattice was able to reduce her weight to 83 pounds by the time she headed east, thanks to a strict diet and exercise.
Duchess, whose life in Oshawa now involves long walks in the field across from the couple’s apartment, will soon move to Nova Scotia with her new owners.
“We’ve gone for some good long walks together,” Keith said. “She’s a nice house dog.”
