RCMP officer reunited with beloved pooch after six-day journey

Paddy Cakes will be home for the holidays.

Last Saturday, RCMP Const. Seth Thomas lost his beloved dog while running her and three other dogs on a fire road near Cloud Lake in the Annapolis Valley.

After catching the scent of a deer, the Northwest Territories-transplants took off. Thomas was able to find two of the dogs that day; another was hit by a car and died.

But Paddy Cakes proved more elusive. She was gone for six days.

"She likes to be free," Thomas said in a phone interview with CBC's Mainstreet.

On Friday, though, a lick-filled reunion took place as Thomas, who works out of the Middleton detachment, was reunited with the dog who often accompanies him on the job.

"She's happy to be back home. She's safe and she's sound — it's all good."

Administering 'Paddy Cakes time'

It was Thomas's efforts to spread the word about his wayward partner in crime, or fighting crime, that ultimately led to her return. A family in the Torbrook area found the dog Sunday and learned of her true identity from media reports.

Paddy Cakes seemed to strike up a bond with a young member of the family, said Thomas.

"I think she needed some Paddy Cakes time, and stuff, so Paddy Cakes was with that family and able to help them out for a little bit."

Domestic life appeared to agree with Paddy Cakes.

"She's been a little bit well fed, I think," Thomas joked. "I can't thank that family enough for looking after her the way they did."

Arrangements are already being made for future sleepovers with Paddy Cakes' newfound friends. In the meantime, Thomas said he and his pooch would be enjoying some downtime during the holidays before getting back on the beat.