Doggone!

Well today we've had a bit of angst and excitement that I could well have done without. I went to leave for work this morning at 7am, Bloss had come downstairs with me and opened the door to the shed to let Zanna out - and she was nowhere to be seen.

We searched the garden, I drove up and down the nearby streets but couldn't find her. We apparently had a severe thunderstorm last night - I didn't hear the thunder as we had the aircon on. Zanna is pertified of thunder and normally finds a dark corner to hide in. If we're home and I hear thunder I usually bring her up to lie beside our bed. It was still bucketing down this morning making trying to see her difficult. We then discovered that she had somehow managed to squeeze through this really small space where the fence meets the wall of the house and there's a tap there - she'd managed to turn the whole tap fitting round 90 degrees in her efforts to escape.

I had to go off to work but Bloss spent the morning walking up and down the bike track by the river opposite our house and driving around and around the nieghbourhood but couldn't see any signs.

By this time I'm sick with worry - and have phoned the local vet, the pound, the shire council dog catcher, placed an ad in the paper for Boxing day, and had an announcement made on the local radio. While at work I made up some posters and on the way home at lunchtime put them up in some of the local shops, service station etc. We live in an area which is like two towns divided by the river so I concentrated on our side of the river, thinking she wouldn't have got on to the bridge and crossed the river.

About half an hour after I got home I got a phone call from a lady who had just seen my ad in the local shopping centre. She told me that around 9.30 this morning she and a friend had been in the town over the river right down on the beach looking across at an island there which is accessible at low tide. She saw what she thought was a dingo running up and down the beach on the island as if it wanted to get off the island but couldn't as the tide was too high. She had binoculars with her and then realised it had a dark collar on and when she saw my poster of Zanna she thought it was her.

So Bloss and I hightailed it over there - and on our way down to the beach to try and get a close look over to the island we asked a young couple we passed if they had seen a big dog go past. Turns out they and and when we showed them Zanna's picture they confirmed it was her and she had passed them about 20 mins earlier (by this time it's around 2pm). So I set off walking along the beach and Bloss went by the road and we agreed to meet at the point a bit further round.

Imagine the joy and relief when I'm almost at the point when I see him and her coming along the beach towards me. He'd found her walking along the road quite unconcerned and none the worse for her experience.

So for us the difference between a happy and a sad Christmas day. I had taken the phone number of the lady who called and rung her back to express my deepest thanks for taking the trouble to call me - she didn't actually live locally - about 30 kms away.

And here she is now - just took this picture - she's absolutely knackered after wandering round the countryside for half the night and half the day. Just so thankful to have her back safe and sound.

Love Z xx