From around the World

Part III

Stolen

Isle of Wight: An island situated a few miles off the south coast of England. It is classed as an English county in its own right with two members of parliament.

Sprocker: First cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Springer Spaniel.

28 April 2013, a Sprocker called Fern disappeared. She was last seen in the family’s driveway at their home in Chessington, Surrey, England, and it was believed that she had been abducted. For her owner, Jodie Ferrier, it was not only a personal trauma, but she had to cope with the devastation caused to her son Ethan, to whom the loss of his pet was particularly traumatic. Any of us can only imagine the horror of having a beloved pet go missing. Jodie decided to use social media in her search for Fern and assembled a small army of followers hoping to find her dog. She updated information and pleaded for any news; however, remote and circulated photos were all to no avail. Years would pass and the family would relocate to the Isle of Wight from their original address in Surrey and despite Jodie’s best efforts there was no news, however, she fanatically ensured that her microchip details were up to date. Name, address, telephone number etc.

Some six years later, a gentleman in a place called Twyford, which is about 60 kilometres (38 miles) from Chessington, noticed a stray dog and took it to the nearest veterinary clinic; there, they checked for a microchip, and incredibly, it was discovered that the stray dog was indeed Fern. The Ferriers would receive the call that they had dreamed about, Jodie would catch the next ferry to the mainland, the veterinary practice stayed open long after hours, and finally, Jodie and Fern were reunited.

And the moral of this story? PLEASE, PLEASE check which microchip company holds your registration (there are many worldwide), check regularly that your details are accurate, and update any changes. Microchips have resulted in the reunification of thousands of owners and lost pets.

The following two stories are written in the present tense as they are both ongoing.

Niblett

Niblett is a Chihuahua with a rare medical condition. He has hydrocephalus, more commonly referred to as water on the brain. It occurs when the skull is not properly formed and leaves the animal dangerously exposed to accidental injuries. One blow could be fatal. Fortunately, Niblett found his way to the Humane Educational Society based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This led to the staff discussing how to protect their tiny charge from injury in the short term and for life, as they confidently expected that Niblett would have no trouble finding a forever home. Eventually, it was decided that the solution lay in providing him with some form of protective headgear, something like a motorcyclist’s crash helmet. Experts were consulted, and a rather unique solution was found. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, and taking advantage of modern technology, the tiny canine had his skull 3D scanned, and then a 3D printer was programmed, and the result was a very stylish piece of headgear. Niblett appears to be very happy to wear his very posh hat, which, of course, shows that animals with this condition can go forward and live long and fruitful lives…

As I am writing this, the team at the Humane Educational Society is in the process of finding a suitable home for Niblett.

I confidently expect their search will be a short one.

Barkley

He is not just another rescue dog. Imagine a world in which a dog has never had a toy to play with and has never known what it is to receive a treat for being well-behaved. Well, this was the sterile world that Barkley the Beagle lived in for five years. You see, Barkley the Beagle was a laboratory research animal. No information was made available as to what form of research he was exposed to, however, for some inexplicable reason most of his teeth had been extracted. At least his time at the laboratory has come to an end, and now he is learning to adapt to normal life.

This in itself presents problems, walking on a lead is a new experience, seeing traffic and playing with other dogs are events that are totally alien to Barkley. For his new owner, Yvonne Horan, another heart-breaking experience is that her other dogs enjoyed playing with toys. One of Barkley’s new siblings is a beagle called Arthur, who delights in carrying a very large fluffy toy from the house to the garden. Barkley observes this strange phenomenon of toy carrying for some time but is unsure of the reason for this rather odd behaviour. This is totally baffling. What was happening, why did the others carry this strange object around, what was the point? Finally, Barkley went and sniffed the strange object and discovered that it didn’t mind being sniffed. Most peculiar! Having established that the fluffy thing was totally benign, he took hold and, at five years old, discovered the intense pleasure of racing around a garden with a toy, much to the delight of Yvonne. Fortunately, Yvonne has come to terms with the fact that Barkley has had a miserable past, but looking back is negative, and his new life starts now. The important thing is looking forward and providing this dog with a settled home and the chance to see out the rest of his life in total contentment.