Battle to get dead man's dog back home

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MONTREAL, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A Montreal woman whose brother died across the country on Vancouver Island faces hurdles in getting back his large dog who stayed with him after he died.

Lynda Roy said her brother, Cyril Roy, died in a trailer in a small community Nov. 30 with his white kugsha breed dog named Fred at his side.

The man was diabetic and had gangrene, but his death was ruled due to heart failure from diabetes, she told The (Montreal) Gazette.

It was determined the seven-year-old dog stayed by his side for three days before emergency crews found the man.

Lynda Roy said she wants to get Fred back, but local animal agencies told her they don't have a shipping crate large enough for him. Airlines have a Dec. 15 deadline for shipping animals, as it then becomes too cold to keep them in cargo holds.

She got good news Monday from Walker's Animal Rescue Center in Nanaimo, which said they had an extra large crate they would offer to ship the dog.

Roy said she was relieved to maintain a link to her brother.

"That dog was all he had," she said. "That's why I want to get him here. He's our only link with my brother."