Lost dog described as ‘emotional lifeline’ to owner

OSHAWA -- A young woman is devastated after her beloved pet poodle, a great help with her epilepsy therapy, ran away Monday.

Leigh Costain, who lives in Toronto, was visiting her brother Monday when her poodle, Sugar, got out of the backyard at his home near Glen and Wentworth streets in Oshawa. Sugar ran into the path of an SUV and was hit. Although the driver stopped, the dog ran away before they could determine how badly she was hurt.

“I just want to find her,” Ms. Costain said, describing how Sugar would stay with her and comfort her during epileptic seizures. “I just fell in love with her, she’s my best friend.”

Ms. Costain’s father, Gene, travelled up from Tampa to help her find Sugar. He had a hard time finding the words to describe the relationship between his daughter and her pet.    

“It transcends the normal loving relationship between a pet and its owner because of her health,” Mr. Costain said of his daughter. Since she bought Sugar, Ms. Costain’s epileptic incidents have been reduced by half.

“She bonded with Sugar in an extremely special way; it’s therapeutic for her,” Mr. Costain said. “She’s devastated over this.”

Several drivers reported seeing a white poodle along Hwy. 401 on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, near the Bloor and Harmony exit in Oshawa, giving the Costains hope Sugar is alive and well.

“We’re just trying to get some answers,” Mr. Costain said. “It’s just such an awful thing. I want to stay until she gets some kind of resolution.”

Sugar is described as a white Maltese poodle, about a year and a half old and 15 pounds. She is wearing two collars.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Leigh Costain at 647-289-0751 or 905-391-1465 or e-mail Gene Costain at gcostain@ut.edu.