Pet owner begs for help to find dogs
A Christchurch woman whose two chihuahuas have disappeared is begging for help to find her beloved pets.
Tayah Bates, who moved to Australia more than a month ago, said she left the dogs with her family in Temuka, South Canterbury, with the plan for them join her in Perth.
The dogs, Behj and Bella, are due to fly out to Australia tomorrow with family members going to visit her.
However, the long-haired chihuahuas went missing from the family home, near the Tea Pot Inn on State Highway 1 in central Temuka, last Wednesday.
‘‘It’s horrible,’’ Bates said, speaking to Timaru Herald from Perth.
‘‘It is a bit of a shock.’’
She notified the Timaru District Council the day they went missing and has had many messages of support from the Temuka community after posting appeals on Facebook for the dogs.
She said on Facebook the pets had ‘‘great sentimental value’’ and it was hard not knowing whether they had access to food and water.
‘‘At both my highest and lowest times these two have been right by my side, they mean the world to me.’’
On New Year’s Eve, a Temuka family contacted her and said their children had spotted the dogs by the Temuka River, near the rubbish dump, Bates said.
She did not know how far away the dogs would roam from the house, but asked anyone who spied the pair to contact her directly.
Bates said Bella was a very ‘‘happy, sociable wee dog’’, but Behj was more withdrawn.
‘‘I think even me moving over here and not being there affected him quite a bit.’’
The dogs had never wandered off before.
She had had Behj for six years, and Bella for three years.
South Canterbury SPCA manager Barry Fairbrother said he advised people not to rush up to the dogs, as they might be frightened and run away.
How they reacted to people depended on their personalities but it was better to walk up to them quietly, he said.
Anyone who found them should contact the owners, or contact the Timaru District Council.
How far the chihuahuas could travel depended on the condition and nature of the dogs, he said.
‘‘If they are on a mission they could go for miles.’’
However if they were ‘‘inquisitive little dogs’’ they might not have travelled far at all.
Trying to predict their behaviour was ‘‘guesswork’’, he said.
It was also possible someone had found the chihuahuas and was looking after them, and did not realise people were searching for them.
* Anyone with information about Behj or Bella can contact Tayah Bates at santaya.michelle.bates@hotmail.com.