Christine Whelan FEO, January 5, 2023, VOL. 4 ISSUE 10 

Tobi Phillips-Crain and Scott Crain felt they got the best Christmas gift ever at the sight of their beloved Clay, standing there, on their porch Christmas Eve day.

On December 23, the couple went for their usual walk. They knew a storm was coming in soon.

Tobi explained, “We wanted our fur babies to get a good run before it got bad out so we were going to go to Waverly Beach. Once we got to the parking lot, we decided it was way too windy and we were going to go back.”

It was then that a tree fell right in front of her and scared Clay, causing him to bolt and yank Tobi with him.

“I fell down and the lead slipped out of my hand.” And Clay took off through the woods.

“He was out in these crazy, dangerous conditions for 22 hours.”

They wrapped one of Clay’s blankets around a railing on our front porch. “We are not sure if that helped, but it might have.”

She spoke to someone from 4Paw Rescue. “He was very helpful in telling us that if someone didn’t have Clay, he was close to home. So, we went out and canvassed our neighborhood, walking in the same route we walk every day, calling him, with flashlights when it got dark, looking in backyards and along houses.”

They searched for him all day, having to stop when the weather got too bad.

“We were heartbroken and worried sick.”

They took to Facebook, to the local groups. “Please, if anyone is out there, keep an eye out. He is most likely hiding somewhere. We hope he’s found shelter.”

They had very little sleep as they would check the front and back porches frequently.

During this time, Scott also had pneumonia.

But then it happened. “At 6:00 am, we were getting ready to begin our search again. We opened the door and there he was! You can’t imagine how we felt once we checked and he was there. We were crying so hard. So happy. And we had just checked there 20 minutes earlier so he could not have been there long.

“We quickly rushed him to his bed and covered him with blankets and our body heat. He was beyond exhausted. But he was safe.”

Clay, who has just turned three years old, was a rescue from the Bahamas, where he was called Potcakes. The Crain’s welcomed him into their home when he was five months old.

Thanking the Extended Community

Tobi and Scott were overwhelmed and amazed at the response and support they received by posting and updating their own pages and local Facebook pages.

“People from all over the Niagara Region drove out here in these horrible conditions to help with the search for our boy. Some drove in that crazy weather from Niagara Falls and Port Colborne.

“We would like to thank everyone who helped in every way they could. Faith in humanity has been restored in this house.”

Photos provided by Tobi Phillips-Crain