Sunday, June 26, 2022
Eastlife
  • Home
  • Counties
    • Beds
    • Cambridgeshire
    • Essex
    • Herts
    • Norfolk
    • Suffolk
  • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookie Policy
  • Advertise with us
    • Print advertising
    • Website advertising
  • What’s on
  • East of England Guide
  • Awards
No Result
View All Result
Eastlife
  • Home
  • Counties
    • Beds
    • Cambridgeshire
    • Essex
    • Herts
    • Norfolk
    • Suffolk
  • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookie Policy
  • Advertise with us
    • Print advertising
    • Website advertising
  • What’s on
  • East of England Guide
  • Awards
No Result
View All Result
Eastlife
No Result
View All Result

Tails About Town: Lost Dog

Emma Kemsley by Emma Kemsley
March 12, 2020
in All Counties, Dog-Friendly
0 0
0
Home All Counties

It happened. I lost Fletcher. Don’t worry, this story ends well. He is currently snoozing on my feet, but here is how the drama unfolded.

In the days leading up to the big escape Fletcher’s recall had been off. He was disappearing into the hedgerows and forest for far too long, often popping up a mile ahead. He usually runs out of sight, he is a spaniel after all, but he never goes too far and certainly not long enough to make me worry. He usually returns after I call his name, but this particular week he had me yelling at the top of my voice.

A scent had got up his nose and he was determined to find it. His nose was fixed to the ground, snuffling along. Nothing was going to stop him. And then it happened. He vanished.

It was a windy day so I decided to change our usual walking route and keep sheltered by the trees. It was a path that Fletcher knows and as he hopped through the trees into the next field I thought nothing of it. When he didn’t come back I decided to scramble through the bushes to see where he was. I spotted a little black dot in the distance, at the top of a hill, two fields away. I panicked. I ran, and I’m definitely not a runner. Thankfully, that day I had chosen sports trainers over walking boots, it’s as though I subconsciously knew something would happen.

After a lot of huffing and puffing, I reached the point where I had last seen him. Fletcher was nowhere in sight and he wasn’t responding to recall. “Ok Emma, stay calm” was my initial thought, which lasted all of 30 seconds. From where I stood I had multiple views of different fields and our usual cut through and exits. I screamed his name some more, nothing. No rustling, no jangle of his collar, only the tweet of birds.

It had been at least 10 minutes, Fletcher had never disappeared for this long. I started to imagine Fletcher’s face plastered across Facebook as one of the lost dog posts I frequently share. Or worst…maybe he had been abducted, sold as a stud or into a dog fighting ring – he wouldn’t last a minute! My whole world started to become very small. I was terrified.

I called my husband and asked him to come home from work. He told me to wait another 10 minutes. I continued to scream “Fletcher” shouting out all the things he loves; “biscuits”, “chicken”, “garden” and “swimming”. Still there was nothing.

I felt sick and dizzy with fear. Minutes turned into days and seconds into hours. Ten minutes passed, I called my husband again, at this point I was an absolute wreck. He was about to come home, when over the hill came a hot, bothered and panting Fletcher.

I was torn; should I tell him off for running away or praise him for coming back? Instead I fell to the floor and sobbed. He sat at my feet drooling looking at me with big brown eyes as if to say: “What’s the big deal? Mum, you’re so dramatic!”. Ok, maybe I did overreact, he was only gone for 30 minutes, but it’s an experience I never wish to relive again.

Safely on his lead, we returned home, where he spent the whole afternoon sleeping, it must have been a big adventure! Two days later I think I found the culprit for his escapades; a pretty black Labrador in heat!

ShareTweetShare
Emma Kemsley

Emma Kemsley

Emma is the editor and chief writer of eastlife

Next Post

Woburn Safari Park: A Wild Adventure

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Plugin Install : Widget Tab Post needs JNews - View Counter to be installed
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Top tips for garden lighting

Dog-friendly Attractions in Norfolk

February 16, 2021
A Rural Roadtrip in Essex

10 of the Best Essex Villages to Visit

March 11, 2021
Christmas Markets in Cambridgeshire

Christmas Markets in Cambridgeshire

November 30, 2021
A walk around Saffron Walden and Audley End Park

A walk around Saffron Walden and Audley End Park

April 12, 2021

The best ghost tours in East Anglia

4
A Guide to Punting in Cambridge

A Guide to Punting in Cambridge

4

Beach Huts just got Cool

3
A walk around Saffron Walden and Audley End Park

A walk around Saffron Walden and Audley End Park

3
Image of replacement knee cap

Conformis Personalised Knee Replacement

June 24, 2022
Summer’s Must-Read Thriller

Summer’s Must-Read Thriller

June 13, 2022
Charity golf event takes place at top Suffolk Golf Course

Charity golf event takes place at top Suffolk Golf Course

June 10, 2022
The best podcasts worth listening to right now

The best podcasts worth listening to right now

June 10, 2022
Eastlife

East of England’s essential guide for what’s on around the region! Allowing you to make the most of where you live.
Read more

Categories

  • All Counties
  • All Sections
  • Around the Region
  • Arts
  • Beds
  • Beds, Bucks & Herts
  • Cambridgeshire
  • Competitions
  • Consumer
  • Dog-Friendly
  • Education
  • Essex
  • Fashion
  • Featured news
  • Festivals
  • Food & Drink
  • Health
  • Herts
  • Lifestyle
  • Little East
  • Motoring
  • Norfolk
  • Other
  • Property
  • Publications
  • Seasonal
  • Suffolk
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Weddings

Tags

48 hrs books Cambridge Christmas classical music CPPF Dogs Easter family days out Farm shop Father Christmas Half Term Halloween homeview ice skating Jubilee keep Livelife Magazine Martin Lewis merge New Year platinum jubilee podcast Queen Elizabeth reading shopping summer festival Theatre Tour Guide win Wine winter walks

Recent News

Image of replacement knee cap

Conformis Personalised Knee Replacement

June 24, 2022
Summer’s Must-Read Thriller

Summer’s Must-Read Thriller

June 13, 2022

© 2020 Local Media Publishing - Site managed by Doug Dawson Creative.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Counties
    • Beds
    • Cambridgeshire
    • Essex
    • Herts
    • Norfolk
    • Suffolk
  • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookie Policy
  • Advertise with us
    • Print advertising
    • Website advertising
  • What’s on
  • East of England Guide
  • Awards

© 2020 Local Media Publishing - Site managed by Doug Dawson Creative.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In