The Costa Rica News (TCRN) – After a month and five day search, along with sticking thousands of posters around town, handing out thousands of cards and an intense campaign on social networks, Oliver Skinner, a young resident of San José, was joyfully reunited with his beloved dog, Radar.
He said the dog is like a daughter to him. She ran away from home on December 24 because she was scared of fireworks going off in the neighborhood.
That day, Skinner left Radar in the courtyard of his house to celebrate Christmas at home with his parents in Alajuela. When he returned she had disappeared.
After two weeks of searching, Skinner had more unexpected bad news: his grandmother, who lived in Guanacaste, had passed away.
Oliver said that when he returned from his grandmother’s funeral, he had accepted the reality that he was not going to find Radar. Then, his friend Soledad devised a plan to recover Radar by dispensing thousands of posters and small cards with the dog’s photo and information throughout San Jose. They also started #OperaciónRadar, a plan on social networks where “ambassadors” were designated in different parts of the capital to help with the search.
On Tuesday, Skinner received a called a girl in Los Guido, saying she had a puppy similar to Radar puppy, who was beaten by a neighbor before being rescued. In the end however, it was not Skinner’s lost dog.
Then on Thursday, Skinner received another call from someone claiming to have Radar. A little skeptical, he asked them to send a photo of the dog. After seeing the photograph, he dropped and went to the house to reclaim the long lost pooch.
Once he arrived, he found a happy and healthy Radar. Her rescuers said they found her on December 24 in the Plaza de la Cultura.
Skinner gave the family ¢70,000 as a reward, but he said for him, it’s something symbolic for the gracious care of his baby. (Amelia Rueda)
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose, Costa Rica
