With only 3 days to go, and us working right through to Sunday, which is the Coats' Official Christmas Day (like the Queen has an official birthday) we should wish you all a Happy Christmas at this point.
No info at all from Watermead dog owners or the 2 veterinary surgeries :-( I do hope they've put our posters up.
Maybe every man and his dog (with a scar) will be out on Boxing Day if the beautiful weather continues?
By the way, useful information sent from Diana in Cornwall, who is a blog-follower, regarding trying to post comments - "you may find it helpful to change the type of comment form you use. My browser (firefox) doesn't allow me to use the embedded-style comment box like yours. You have the option in 'settings' to use a comment form that comes up either as a separate little box, or a new page. People rarely have trouble leaving comments with those types". Thanks Diana.
Tuesday 22 December 2009
Wednesday 16 December 2009
The Watermead Connection
Just a mini-update to say we're not much further forward right now.
Thanks to everyone who has emailed or sent good wishes with Christmas cards - a lot of people read Sky's blog but a number of you have difficulties posting comments. I've found that clicking on the drop down menu that says Google Accounts then typing in the letters they show you in the box does work, but those of you having difficulty are not dim, so maybe it only works from some computers!
Thanks also to Sue from doglost.co.uk who's been in contact to put an advert about Sky in a national publication which goes out in February, with the 2 pictures of him - front on and his back.
So back to "The Watermead Connection" as it is now known.
The location of Watermead Park sparked a memory which I've traced back to a call on 28th Feb from a man in a new housing estate in a place called Hamilton, really close to Wtmd Park. He specifically mentioned a scar on a black dog on a lead. He was a bit vague, it was 2 weeks previous and didn't fit with any other calls, and we had lots of other leads to follow at that time, so we took no further action. The location was tricky - he was vague and Google maps and A-Z maps didn't have the estate on them. However, if you had recently got a dog and over the next few months bothered to go beyond the estate and get in your car for a walk, Watermead is where you might go. When I re-looked at the map I did a double take!
I have emailed the 2 closest veterinary surgeries to Watermead Park and spoke to 2 very obliging receptionists. Lots of animal lovers in our area spread the word and kept eyes peeled after seeing our poster in Sky's vet surgery. The receptionists were a bit vague about the email system though and Tim and I have been working around the clock (literally - we're having a very bad patch at work at the moment) so haven't been able to pop in to the surgeries. I'm posting them each 2 posters for display this morning, with covering note.
So after 4 days of adverts in the Mercury (good sized ones which stood out in the Classifieds) no other calls about an actual scar, than Jasper's dad. We're glad we haven't been inundated with vague calls which take so much time and energy, and do feel that the softly, softly approach is right for now. If this is a real lead we don't want someone to feel hounded. Sorry, no pun intended!
Thanks to everyone who has emailed or sent good wishes with Christmas cards - a lot of people read Sky's blog but a number of you have difficulties posting comments. I've found that clicking on the drop down menu that says Google Accounts then typing in the letters they show you in the box does work, but those of you having difficulty are not dim, so maybe it only works from some computers!
Thanks also to Sue from doglost.co.uk who's been in contact to put an advert about Sky in a national publication which goes out in February, with the 2 pictures of him - front on and his back.
So back to "The Watermead Connection" as it is now known.
The location of Watermead Park sparked a memory which I've traced back to a call on 28th Feb from a man in a new housing estate in a place called Hamilton, really close to Wtmd Park. He specifically mentioned a scar on a black dog on a lead. He was a bit vague, it was 2 weeks previous and didn't fit with any other calls, and we had lots of other leads to follow at that time, so we took no further action. The location was tricky - he was vague and Google maps and A-Z maps didn't have the estate on them. However, if you had recently got a dog and over the next few months bothered to go beyond the estate and get in your car for a walk, Watermead is where you might go. When I re-looked at the map I did a double take!
I have emailed the 2 closest veterinary surgeries to Watermead Park and spoke to 2 very obliging receptionists. Lots of animal lovers in our area spread the word and kept eyes peeled after seeing our poster in Sky's vet surgery. The receptionists were a bit vague about the email system though and Tim and I have been working around the clock (literally - we're having a very bad patch at work at the moment) so haven't been able to pop in to the surgeries. I'm posting them each 2 posters for display this morning, with covering note.
So after 4 days of adverts in the Mercury (good sized ones which stood out in the Classifieds) no other calls about an actual scar, than Jasper's dad. We're glad we haven't been inundated with vague calls which take so much time and energy, and do feel that the softly, softly approach is right for now. If this is a real lead we don't want someone to feel hounded. Sorry, no pun intended!
Friday 11 December 2009
A Watermead Day
So it felt like back to the old days - freezing fog, warm coat on, (the little red riding hood number), armed with flyers, off in the car again on another Sky mission. Little boy, if you only knew how hard we've searched for you.
I met Jasper the dalmatian's dad, who still thinks (looking at the picture on Blog 23 Feb, which is a bit different from the one we put in the Leicester Mercury) that the scar resembles the one on the black lab he saw, which he places at around a week ago.
However he, and all the many other dog owners I met (as ever - all extremely helpful), have not seen the dog at any other time. Watermead Park is a bit on the tourist map, so people can go there as a one off. He showed me the area where he saw the dog, and I spent a couple of hours getting my bearings - in case of another call. A chance meeting with a man and his wife and dog, who works for the council, meant I was put in touch with another man who could put me in touch with the Park Rangers, who will also keep an eye out.
And if I had a pound for the 25% of people who said "oh, do you mean Sky?" or the other 25% who said "oh yes, I've seen about him in the Mercury", I'd be rich.
We are refraining from putting posters around and about, in case the person who had the dog (on a lead apparently) gets scared and goes underground.
Another suggestion put to me was a local reporter for Central News, who one of the dog-walkers thought might fill a news-poor Xmas slot with a 30 second plea for Sky, with a picture of his scar. Need to give some thought to that. It could be a double edged sword. Any opinions from our bloggers would be welcomed.
Previously (as Jon and Shelley have found) the TV doesn't think a missing dog story is interesting enough. However it is a year on, and Xmas is - as we all know - short on real news.
The Mercury is carrying the advert again tonight and tomorrow night.
So here we are. Another waiting game.
Thanks Jasper's dad. It's observant people like you who might solve the mystery one day.
I met Jasper the dalmatian's dad, who still thinks (looking at the picture on Blog 23 Feb, which is a bit different from the one we put in the Leicester Mercury) that the scar resembles the one on the black lab he saw, which he places at around a week ago.
However he, and all the many other dog owners I met (as ever - all extremely helpful), have not seen the dog at any other time. Watermead Park is a bit on the tourist map, so people can go there as a one off. He showed me the area where he saw the dog, and I spent a couple of hours getting my bearings - in case of another call. A chance meeting with a man and his wife and dog, who works for the council, meant I was put in touch with another man who could put me in touch with the Park Rangers, who will also keep an eye out.
And if I had a pound for the 25% of people who said "oh, do you mean Sky?" or the other 25% who said "oh yes, I've seen about him in the Mercury", I'd be rich.
We are refraining from putting posters around and about, in case the person who had the dog (on a lead apparently) gets scared and goes underground.
Another suggestion put to me was a local reporter for Central News, who one of the dog-walkers thought might fill a news-poor Xmas slot with a 30 second plea for Sky, with a picture of his scar. Need to give some thought to that. It could be a double edged sword. Any opinions from our bloggers would be welcomed.
Previously (as Jon and Shelley have found) the TV doesn't think a missing dog story is interesting enough. However it is a year on, and Xmas is - as we all know - short on real news.
The Mercury is carrying the advert again tonight and tomorrow night.
So here we are. Another waiting game.
Thanks Jasper's dad. It's observant people like you who might solve the mystery one day.
Thursday 10 December 2009
Flicker of hope - Sky Army, stay on standby!
Hello bloggers
Our first night of advertisement went in the Mercury last night. 3 more to go. Had lovely text today - "are you the two doctors who put and advert in a year ago? please tell us where we can go walking with our dog". Amazing that people remember.
Then this morning, the exact type of call we are looking for. A man who walks his dog Jasper the dalmation in Watermead Park (north of Leicester, nice lakes and paths, good dog-walking zone) saw a black lab 1-2 weeks ago and thought "gosh, that's a nasty scar". Obviously thought no more about it till seeing our advert so called me today.
He's 95% sure it was a weekday and was between 0930 and 1130 in the morning. Luckily I've got the day off work tomorrow, so guess where I'm heading?!
From past experience, the best way you can get to the bottom of things is just go there and walk up to anyone you can see (definitely anyone with a dog) and strike up a conversation and ask.
So I'll try that in the morning, and unless I get sufficient negatives to "call the search off" we may be calling upon the generosity of the Sky Army to do some patrolling in the area in the coming week or two.
Promise I'll keep you all posted. Trying to not get too excited but am a bit like a woman possessed tonight!
Ffion
Our first night of advertisement went in the Mercury last night. 3 more to go. Had lovely text today - "are you the two doctors who put and advert in a year ago? please tell us where we can go walking with our dog". Amazing that people remember.
Then this morning, the exact type of call we are looking for. A man who walks his dog Jasper the dalmation in Watermead Park (north of Leicester, nice lakes and paths, good dog-walking zone) saw a black lab 1-2 weeks ago and thought "gosh, that's a nasty scar". Obviously thought no more about it till seeing our advert so called me today.
He's 95% sure it was a weekday and was between 0930 and 1130 in the morning. Luckily I've got the day off work tomorrow, so guess where I'm heading?!
From past experience, the best way you can get to the bottom of things is just go there and walk up to anyone you can see (definitely anyone with a dog) and strike up a conversation and ask.
So I'll try that in the morning, and unless I get sufficient negatives to "call the search off" we may be calling upon the generosity of the Sky Army to do some patrolling in the area in the coming week or two.
Promise I'll keep you all posted. Trying to not get too excited but am a bit like a woman possessed tonight!
Ffion
Tuesday 1 December 2009
One Year On :-(
We have just returned from a lovely 3 weeks in South Africa, combining wildlife - lots of seals, dolphins and whales, lots of sleep, seeing old friends and attending a conference. Geoff & Angela, our friends, looked after our house while we were away. Somehow, we still expected to arrive home to have Sky bolt down the drive towards us like a tornado and hear all about his escapades and funny moments.
Today it's a year since he disappeared into thin air.
Part of us can't believe it's been that long, then sometimes it feels like we can barely remember the happy days before the nightmare began. This morning it's picture postcard outside in our lovely 6 acres of land - sunny and frosty. I just went out to feed the hens and ducks (aka the girls and boys) and it's very cold out there. Unfortunately it's exactly the weather we had a year ago so it makes today feel more poignant. Could he have succumbed to cold and hunger in those early days? Everyone says not - he's a labrador, built for very cold climates and an expert scavenger. And if he'd died, I now know (didn't back then) that the farmland and villages are patrolled enough that a dead dog would probably found - most likely by another dog.
It has still got to be the most likely scenario that he's sitting on someone's couch, having a great time, being fed bananas, mackerel, carrots and the remains of meat casseroles - all his favourite things.
If he was found with his big scar, looking all pathetic and bedraggled, and larding affection on his finder, you can just imagine that they'd think "poor, abused, cast-out dog" and we know (didn't back then) that there is a substantial minority of people who think they're doing the right thing by not trying to contact the owner - or simply can't be bothered.
In which case, maybe - just maybe - one day he'll end up at a vet's or rescue centre where his microchip gets scanned and BINGO.
I think we need to do a "one year on" advert in the Leicester Mercury this week. There is a high level of readership and if the population of our county has not seen him in the last year (we'll put in the picture with the scar) then he simply can't be around here.
Of course Captain Paranoid keeps telling me the hair could have grown over the scar if cold temperatures stimulated hair growth. There was no sign of regrowth over the previous 2 years, but who knows?
In and amongst all the emotions, the overwhelming feeling I still have is still to absolutely marvel over how amazing people have been - from friends and family, to work colleagues, complete strangers and the general public. It's been incredible. There are a lot of doggy people out there.
To use a cliche it really does restore your faith in humanity.
I could list a long list of people here that I would like to thank but that would risk accidentally missing someone important out, so I won't. But I really want to thank Tori from the bottom of my heart. She has trudged the fields, accosted strangers, sat and planned strategy over maps and cups of coffee, launched off in the car at a moment's notice, kept us sane, and has been a total stalwart. Thank you Tori for everything. I know you miss Nevis your black lab, so at times it's been hard for you but you never showed it.
To everyone else who has supported us so much in so many ways, today seems a good opportunity to say a massive THANK YOU.
And to Jon and Shelley, who are still searching for Jacob in similar circumstances to us http://missingbraccojacob.blogspot.com/ - I hope we all have a happy ending one day, and thanks for the psychotherapy! If those boys return saying what a good time they've had in California chasing bitches and smoking joints, they're going to get such a telling off........
Today it's a year since he disappeared into thin air.
Part of us can't believe it's been that long, then sometimes it feels like we can barely remember the happy days before the nightmare began. This morning it's picture postcard outside in our lovely 6 acres of land - sunny and frosty. I just went out to feed the hens and ducks (aka the girls and boys) and it's very cold out there. Unfortunately it's exactly the weather we had a year ago so it makes today feel more poignant. Could he have succumbed to cold and hunger in those early days? Everyone says not - he's a labrador, built for very cold climates and an expert scavenger. And if he'd died, I now know (didn't back then) that the farmland and villages are patrolled enough that a dead dog would probably found - most likely by another dog.
It has still got to be the most likely scenario that he's sitting on someone's couch, having a great time, being fed bananas, mackerel, carrots and the remains of meat casseroles - all his favourite things.
If he was found with his big scar, looking all pathetic and bedraggled, and larding affection on his finder, you can just imagine that they'd think "poor, abused, cast-out dog" and we know (didn't back then) that there is a substantial minority of people who think they're doing the right thing by not trying to contact the owner - or simply can't be bothered.
In which case, maybe - just maybe - one day he'll end up at a vet's or rescue centre where his microchip gets scanned and BINGO.
I think we need to do a "one year on" advert in the Leicester Mercury this week. There is a high level of readership and if the population of our county has not seen him in the last year (we'll put in the picture with the scar) then he simply can't be around here.
Of course Captain Paranoid keeps telling me the hair could have grown over the scar if cold temperatures stimulated hair growth. There was no sign of regrowth over the previous 2 years, but who knows?
In and amongst all the emotions, the overwhelming feeling I still have is still to absolutely marvel over how amazing people have been - from friends and family, to work colleagues, complete strangers and the general public. It's been incredible. There are a lot of doggy people out there.
To use a cliche it really does restore your faith in humanity.
I could list a long list of people here that I would like to thank but that would risk accidentally missing someone important out, so I won't. But I really want to thank Tori from the bottom of my heart. She has trudged the fields, accosted strangers, sat and planned strategy over maps and cups of coffee, launched off in the car at a moment's notice, kept us sane, and has been a total stalwart. Thank you Tori for everything. I know you miss Nevis your black lab, so at times it's been hard for you but you never showed it.
To everyone else who has supported us so much in so many ways, today seems a good opportunity to say a massive THANK YOU.
And to Jon and Shelley, who are still searching for Jacob in similar circumstances to us http://missingbraccojacob.blogspot.com/ - I hope we all have a happy ending one day, and thanks for the psychotherapy! If those boys return saying what a good time they've had in California chasing bitches and smoking joints, they're going to get such a telling off........
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