Lost and found dogs. Losing a beloved pet is a traumatic experience. Yet, here are some owners who have never given up hope.
Dog lost. When Alison and Tim Doubell, from Newark in Nottinghamshire, went on a family outing with their rescue dog Scooby last June, they had no idea it would be almost seven long weeks before they saw her again.
“Scooby is a rescue Labradoodle, and we’d only had her for ten days,” explained Alison. “She had come from out of the area after her original family had struggled to cope with her. She was a lovely but nervous dog and was settling well. My boys, Ben and Joe, who were 10 and 14, adored her.
“Last June, the weather was sweltering, and lockdown restrictions had eased a little, so our eldest boy went to play football with his friends in a park in the village of Allington in Lincolnshire.
When we drove to pick Joe up, we took Scooby to give her a little run-around. “Joe was holding Scooby’s lead when something spooked her.
The lead wrapped around his legs, and he fell over and dropped it. Scooby spooked again and bolted across the field.
Unfortunately, the gate was open, and she ran straight through it, trailing her, extending lead behind her.
“We were shocked but set off in pursuit. Finally, we spotted her at the bottom of the lane, turning into a track.“
The boys ran after her, keeping their distance as much as possible so as not to spook her again.
We did everything we could to find her.
It was a very rural area, and she was heading towards open fields, where the crops were high, so it was hard to see her. Finally, Joe spotted her sitting on a track and tried to follow her, but she just vanished.
“We were distraught but did everything we could to find her. My husband rang the microchip company and discovered Scooby was only one year old, rather than the two years old we thought she was!
My husband and I rang vets, the police, British Rail, the Environment Agency, the dog warden and everyone else we could think of.
“Friends were brilliant, putting her details on the local Allington village Facebook group, and local people did so much to try to find her.
We also listed her on several missing pets Facebook groups and set up her Facebook group.
We received a flurry of sightings.
“When Scooby first went missing, we received a flurry of sightings and were helped enormously by the charity Harvey’s Army, which loaned us a trap and night vision cameras.
However, the first confirmed sighting was from someone with a camera on their doorbell!
TOP TIP!
If you spot a known stray dog don’t call him or give chase. Simply take a photo and notify the owners as soon as possible.
“This sighting was not far from where she went missing, and we think she circled the area for several days, coming out at dawn and dusk. Finally, she was seen approaching the trap but never went in. It was all incredibly frustrating.
“Local farmers were brilliant, allowing us to search their land and notifying workers that she was missing. I don’t know how many miles we must have walked daily, but it was a lot!
Other people were terrific, with strangers putting up posters and handing out fliers. We can’t thank them enough.
“One day, a lorry driver rang to say he’d seen Scooby in a nearby village. He tried to close the gates to the farm which she was near, but they wouldn’t complete, and she ran off again.
That was a low point, mainly as there were no more sightings for ages, and we began to think something awful had happened.
Constant Searching
“After nearly seven weeks of constant searching, we were all exhausted and decided to go for a camping weekend. Just as we’d loaded the car, a local farmer telephoned to say that he and his wife had seen Scooby, who had started following their vehicle around the fields.
They’d driven around for a while, but she’d kept trotting behind them, so they stopped and got out. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Scooby seemed to give herself up as she walked over and jumped into their car!
We couldn’t believe our ears. Abandoned all thoughts of camping, and we raced back to pick her up.
“To our amazement, she was excellent despite being very thin. Our vets advised feeding her small meals and allowing her to settle before taking her to be examined, but when she was seen, she seemed remarkably we
“Scooby seemed pleased to be home again. She started wagging her tail, which she’d not done before and lay on her back for tummy tickles.
“She’s fitted right in again, and everyone loves her. Now wearing a tracker device, we’ve walked her repeatedly on routes, so she knows where she is.
She’s been off-lead in the local park, but we keep her on-lead in places we don’t know.
“My advice to anyone who loses a dog is never to give up hope. Instead, keep raising awareness on social media, put up posters, and encourage as many people as possible to spread the word.
We recently met someone on a walk who recognised Scooby because her friend in France had told her she was missing! So Scooby went global, but we are happy she’s safely home again.”
Dog Lost. Still Missing
Ozzy, the rescue Vizsls, has been missing from Cambridgeshire since September 24, 2020. He belongs to Christine Goldsmith, rector of Leadenham Church in Lincolnshire, who says her life has been on hold since the day Ozzy went missing.
“I’ve had Ozzy for nearly eight years, and he is one of 10 dogs we have,” she said. “I lived in Cyprus until February 2018, where I’d set up a rescue for Vizslas and Vizsla-crosses.
We helped hundreds of dogs, and they all live in the UK now, having a wonderful life. The 10 I have are the waifs and strays who returned with eight cats and me!
“Last September, admitted Ozzy to a veterinary referral hospital in Cambridgeshire to have a stent put in to help with a heart problem.
It made him feel a lot better, but that night he was taken out at 11 pm for a toilet break, and it was very windy. He got spooked and somehow escaped from an unsecured area. It wasn’t perfect, although the team has been very supportive in doing all they can to help us find him.
My life stopped when I received the phone call saying he was missing. I want him home.
“There have been several sightings, but we haven’t had a photograph. Ozzy is the most likely to survive of all my dogs, as he can hunt down pigeons or pheasants.
I know Ozzy is out somewhere, and we’re doing everything possible to spread the word so that people keep looking for him. We desperately need people to take photographs of stray dogs they think might be Ozzy and call me on 07494 870701.
Facebook Group
“People can join the Help Find Ozzy, Cambs CB8 Facebook Group. I miss Ozzy like crazy, and I’ll never give up hope of finding him.”
Losing a beloved pet is a traumatic experience. It can be challenging to cope with grief and loss, especially if your pet has been a part of your family for many years. There are a few things you can do to help yourself through this challenging time:
- Allow yourself to grieve. It’s essential to allow yourself to feel the pain of losing your pet. Don’t try to bottle up your emotions or pretend you’re not hurting.
- Talk about your pet. Talking about your pet can help you to process your grief and loss. Talk to your friends, family, or a therapist.
- Create a memorial for your pet. This can be a way to honour your pet’s memory and keep them close to your heart. You could create a photo album, plant a tree, or write a letter to your pet.
- Volunteer at an animal shelter. Volunteering at an animal shelter can help you to feel good about yourself and give back to the animal community. It can also be a way to connect with other pet owners who are going through the same thing.
- Remember the good times. Take some time to remember all the good times you had with your pet. Look through photos, watch videos, or tell stories about your pet to your friends and family.
- Give yourself time to heal. It takes time to recover from the loss of a pet. Don’t put pressure on yourself to get over your grief quickly. Allow yourself to grieve at your own pace.
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