Dog missing for 10 days returns ... and bangs on owners’ gate
‘CRAZINESS’ AS BUDDY COMES HOME
Jim Macdonald with Buddy A YOUNG dog missing for 10 days went “crazy” when he finally managed to find his way home – and his owners did the same.
Buddy, two, ran off after being taken for a walk by Marian Macdonald a mile away from their Sinfin home.
The pet failed to return and Marian, who lives with husband Jim and a second dog, was worried she’d never see him again.
But her anguish turned to joy when the “Shollie” – a cross between a German shepherd and border collie –turned up at the Macdonalds’ home in the early hours of Sunday, August 4.
Marian, 68, said: “It was 1.30am and I suddenly heard banging noises on the gate. I thought ‘who the hell is banging at this time of night?’
“I flung the front door open and there he was on the front – all jittery and scared.”
At first, Buddy didn’t realise he was home and ran up the street, possibly due to anxiety. But Marian managed to coax him back with a tin of tuna.
“When I put out my hand, he sniffed it – and that’s when he recognised me,” Marian said. “He was whimpering, crying and going crazy. It was a wonderful ending. We gave him massive hugs.”
Jim was equally delighted. He said: “It was so upsetting when he was missing. We didn’t know if he was hurt or how scared he would be out there on his own. I’m so pleased to have him back safe and well.”
Marian says she was only half awake when she heard a noise outside as she was expecting a text message from her daughter.
She believes Buddy would still be lost if she had been fully asleep. “If I wasn’t expecting a message from my daughter, I may have been in a deep sleep and missed him.”
Buddy went missing as Marion took him for a walk along a canal off Deep Dale Lane, south of Stenson Fields. Marian had walked under a bridge and turned around to call Buddy, who was out of her sight. Instead of running towards her he took the wrong turn and went up onto the bridge and onto the road.
She said: “I heard car tyres screech and then a yelp. I didn’t know if he’d been hit or not. I was absolutely heartbroken. All sorts of things go through your mind, but I never gave up hope.”
Marion contacted Dog S.O.S Derbyshire, a volunteer-led group, for help. It put up posters and “sightings” of Buddy were reported in Swarkestone and Aston-on-Trent, five miles away.
Marian said Buddy smelled like a “farmyard” but was in good condition, although he had a cut on his leg and had lost some weight.
She said: “I still can’t get my head around it. I’m so happy he is home.”