Search for dog that escaped Milford vet

Milford (WTNH) - A search is under way for a dog that escaped the care of its Veterinarian in Milford.

It's dark and cold on Walnut Beach, but Kelly Roper doesn't care. Somewhere out there in the night is her dog Finnley. She has been missing since Monday, braving sub-freezing temperatures and snow.

"They lost my dog and I just want my dog home," Roper said. "She is just a little, 54 pound Greyhound. Sweetest, gentlest thing; we have been searching all over."

Roper says she brought Finnley to the Companion Animal Hospital for surgery. The vet told News Channel 8 while after the surgery, she took the dog for a walk. Finnley snapped at her and got loose; this was on Monday. By Wednesday, she put out a dog amber alert looking for help.

"I am not kidding you, within two minutes of putting this out on New Years Eve, volunteers from all over connect -- came out to help me," Roper said. "They put up fliers, they organized search parties -- everything."

Roper searches side-by-side with her friends and complete strangers; people who have dropped everything to come help look for a lost dog on a cold night.

"She has been here at 5 o'clock in the morning until 10 o'clock at night," Nicole Korzen, of Milford, said. "We have been posting signs looking for a glimmer of hope that somebody will see her and give a phone call."

Spencer is one of the Greyhounds out looking for Finnley. The owners have asked that if you do find the dog, don't chase it because it is trained to run. If you spot the dog, please call the police and get the professionals or you could make things worse.

"If people who live in the area could go out, look in the garages or sheds or under the porch or in the bushes in this area, because she could be hiding trying to keep warm," Cynthia Flaherty, of CT Greyhound Adoption, said. "And if they do find her to call."

Roper and her friends say they will be out here looking for as long as it takes. "I have a dog that was hit by a car and I have experienced that kind of pain . [And] pets become your children and when you don't have children they are your life."

If you have seen Finnley, the missing Greyhound, you are asked to contact Milford Animal Control at (203) 783-3279.