Dogs freaked by hail go missing
Hugh Jeboult-Jones and wife Medith are desperate to find their dog after he jumped their one-anda-half-metre fence and escaped during Wednesday’s hailstorm over Timaru.
The couple’s 2-year-old sydney silky/Cairn terrier cross, Henry, is one of five dogs reported missing to Timaru District Council since the town was pelted by hail, damaging property and stretching emergency services.
Henry bolted from their Avenue Rd yard where he was playing when large, golf ball-sized hail stones destroyed the couple’s spouting and the roof of their shed, Hugh JeboultJones said.
‘‘The noise of that must have really freaked him because he’s jumped over a five-foot fence in the middle of the storm,’’ he said.
‘‘He’s very alert and if he hears a noise, he reacts really quickly.
‘‘We don’t know what sort of state he’s in. We’re very stressed and upset.’’
Their every waking moment since had been spent looking for him – contacting the council and police, appealing for information on social media, door-knocking, and sliding posters into mailboxes.
‘‘It just makes us feel as though we’re doing something and being proactive.’’
Jeboult-Jones said their 5-yearold daughter, Hannah, missed having Henry there to serve as a pillow and asked where he was every night before bed.
‘‘He’s very intelligent and very friendly and very, very missed.’’
Henry, who is microchipped, was not too familiar with the area around Avenue Rd, as he had been taken to Jack’s Point, south of
Timaru, for most of his walks – but had also been to West End Park and Lough Park.
Jeboult-Jones said they believed their dog may have been picked up by somebody who did not have social media, and was unaware of the couple’s zealous search for him.
‘‘We’ve got a sighting yesterday [Thursday] that he had a rope around his neck, being towed by some guy,’’ he said.
‘‘We just hope that if he’s safe, he’s still in South Canterbury.’’
Jeboult-Jones said the hailstorm would have been traumatising for many pets.
‘‘The animals would have been totally freaked not just by the thunder and lightening, but the noise of breaking things.’’
Council spokesman Stephen Doran said as well as five reports of lost dogs, council had taken three calls about wandering dogs since
Wednesday’s hailstorm. Also, two dogs had been impounded and their owners sought.
Jeboult-Jones encouraged those who had information about Henry’s whereabouts to contact him on the couple’s Facebook account, HughandMedith JJ, and promised a reward.