Taylor Swift tickets offered as reward for missing Abbotsford dog

A couple in Abbotsford is offering a significant reward for anyone who can help find their beloved family dog.

Holly Gilding says she’s willing to give up two tickets to Taylor Swift’s sold-out — and highly coveted — Vancouver ‘Eras Tour’ dates for the safe return of ‘George.’

The Great Pyrenees mix was last seen on Sept. 18, when he bolted after a coyote on the Matsqui trail.

She says she and her partner have done a “pretty extensive ground search,” put up posters and posts to social media, employed “scent tracking dogs,” and even attempted infrared drone services.

Holly says since they offered up the tickets, they have seen a significant bump in reported sightings of George, but there have been no confirmed sightings yet.

“So the biggest thing for us right now is trying to get a photo of the dog. We’ve pursued a lot of different leads where we end up finding the dog that was reported, and it’s not George,” said Holly.

George, Holly says, is the centre of her small family, and life just isn’t the same without him. To have him back, she’d give up the tickets in a heartbeat.

“We have these tickets for the concert coming up; maybe that will get people’s attention. Certainly, if we were to get reunited with George, it would be a no-brainer,” she said.

Dustin Gilding says the tickets were a birthday present for Holly, but at this point they would pay almost any price.

“It’s not looking great right, but we’re using this as a hail-mary. If somebody does have him, we’re willing to come to an agreement,” said Dustin.

If you see George, the Gildings are hoping you don’t approach right away, keep your eyes on him at a safe distance and get in touch.

“So the best way to get a hold of us — the quickest — is to just call 604-346-6727. You can also respond to any of our social media posts or, you know, DM us on any of those posts. However, phone calls obviously kind of get our attention the fastest,” said Holly.

She says that number is a cell number, and location pins and photo messages of dogs suspected to be George are also welcome.

George is described as primarily white with brown patches on his back and “badger markings” on his face.

—With files from Cecilia Hua and Mike Lloyd