Saga of lost NI dog ends happily
AN elusive dog from a remote town in Hawke’s Bay found himself lost and alone and embroiled in a case of mistaken identity in Dunedin yesterday.
Dunedin City Council animal control officer Alister Wilden said police officers called the council for backup after failing to catch a Jack Russell loitering outside Dunedin Central Police Station.
‘‘I drove down lower Stuart St and saw it crossing the road and caught up with it at Queens Gardens and managed to get the wee dog,’’ Mr Wilden said.
The number on the registration tag was linked to a Jack Russell from Saddle Hill named Ginny.
Mr Wilden called Ginny’s owner, who asked for the dog to be dropped at their workplace.
When the dog arrived, the owner said: ‘‘this isn’t my dog’’.
On closer inspection of the registration tag, Mr Wilden saw the letters HB. He retrieved the correct owner’s details by calling a council in Hawke’s Bay.
The owner of the dog named Henry was Gordon Transport truck driver Jamie Lorck. Mr Lorck had picked up cattle near Balclutha yesterday and suspected Henry jumped from the dog box in the truck when he was stopped at traffic lights in Dunedin.
He and Henry lived in Waipukurau in Central
Hawke’s Bay and the two had travelled long distances before without incident.
‘‘He gets around; he loves it in there.’’
The 6yearold Jack Russell shared the dog box with huntaway Tess.
On the road, Tess usually travelled with her head out of the dog box, blocking the exit
point for Henry, he said.
Mr Lorck was ‘‘rapt’’ Mr Wilden had travelled to Waikouaiti yesterday to reunite
him with Henry.
‘‘I had no clue Henry was missing until Alister rang me — lucky he did. If he had stopped in
Temuka last night and discovered Henry missing it ‘‘would have been a disaster’’.
When he got to Waipukurau, he would modify the dog box to ensure Henry could not ‘‘squeeze out’’ again.
shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz