THIS STORY IS FROM OUR ARCHIVES
Bailey lives in a busy family: Jonathan manages the YWCA centre in Greystones, so there are at all times younger folks coming and going from his dwelling. The again backyard, the place Bailey, his three yr previous Springer Spaniel usually likes to spend her time, is enclosed, however there’s a facet gate, and regardless of the home rule that it should at all times be closed, it’s typically by chance left ajar.
BAILEY’S ADVENTURE BEGINS
Final Saturday lunchtime, when Bailey noticed that the facet gate had been left open for a number of moments, she sneaked by and bolted. Jonathan observed nearly without delay, and he hurried right down to the native seashore, the place he normally takes her for walks. She loves water, and he thought that this was the place she’d be most probably to go. However there was no signal of her. He then organised a group of individuals to go looking throughout Greystones. For a number of hours, they combed the streets, calling her title, however Bailey had vanished. Jonathan advised the police, and posted her photograph onto a local people Fb web page, however there was no phrase. Quickly, it was getting darkish, and nonetheless she had not come dwelling. Jonathan feared the worst: had she been concerned in an accident? Or had she been stolen?
In the meantime, six kilometres away in Bray, I used to be strolling by the city to fulfill some associates. I got here throughout three Austrian college students, clustered round a Springer Spaniel that they’d discovered. They didn’t know I used to be a vet, however they got here as much as me, asking if I might direct them to the police station. They’d discovered this canine, soaking moist, working up and down Bray seashore, they usually wished to do the appropriate factor to assist it. Someone had advised they need to take her to the police station.
I realised that there could be little that the police might do to assist them. Whereas they might file the small print of a “discovered” canine, they wouldn’t have the ability to take within the canine to take care of it. And so they wouldn’t have a microchip scanner, in order that they wouldn’t have the ability to observe down the canine’s proprietor.
There’s an enormous drawback in Eire for “stray” canines at nights and weekends. The canine warden and canine pound techniques solely function throughout workplace hours on weekdays. If any person finds a canine exterior these instances, there’s not a lot they’ll do aside from taking care of the animal till regular service recommences.
It was lucky that the Austrian college students occurred to stumble upon me: as a vet, I used to be in a position to assist without delay.
A HAPPY ENDING
I supplied to take the canine from the scholars, bringing her right down to my vet clinic, the place I scanned her for a microchip. The scanner displayed the standard 15 digit quantity, and by keying this into the net database, I used to be in a position to instantly discover out that this was, certainly, Jonathan’s canine, Bailey. I phoned him without delay: he was delighted to listen to that she was secure, and we organized a contented reunion.
As a back-up manner of discovering the proprietor, I had additionally instantly posted a photograph to my “Pete the Vet” Fb web page, asking folks to share it: this was “shared” over a thousand instances, with practically 50000 folks seeing it. Social media gives a helpful back-up methodology of reuniting misplaced canines with homeowners.
Questions stay: how did Bailey get to Bray from Greystones? Did she comply with somebody on foot? Or might this water-loving canine have swum?
The excellent news is that Bailey is again dwelling. The shut-the-side-gate rule has been re-inforced strictly, and Bailey has a brand new steel ID tag (her previous one had rusted off). Hopefully, she is going to by no means escape once more, but when she does, she received’t stay nameless for lengthy.
