Phoenix Association

HOT GOSSIP

Phoebe – one of the luckiest dogs in France!

We received an email from Phoebe’s distraught owners, asking if we could help them try to find their beloved 3-year old Weimaraner. They had brought her from Devon to Brittany where they were staying with friends. Her owners then went back to England, leaving her with their friends who brought her down to the Dordogne on holiday with their own dog. They are great walkers and had let both dogs off their leads in the forest between Grand Roc at Les Eyzies and Tursac – an area of about 14 sq km. Yes, you’ve guessed it. One dog came back to them and Phoebe did not. They searched and searched for 2-3 days, informing as many people as possible, but absolutely no joy, except for a farmer who said he had seen her the next day, but could not get anywhere near her as she was very frightened.

In the end they had to return to Brittany, incredibly sad and worried sick and of course, notifying Phoebe’s English owners. We got the story 8 days later and felt there was probably little hope of finding her alive, as the dog could have been anywhere in that time. Nevertheless, we had to try something. We immediately notified the police, local Mayors, Tourist Office and radio station and within an hour the owners in England had produced some excellent posters and one of our team went off to Grand Roc that afternoon with the first batch. She talked to all the people she could in a short time – restaurant owners, shopkeepers, farmers, all of whom were incredibly kind and caring, offering to take posters and display them. The next day we went back again and this time there were three of us and more posters were stapled to telegraph poles, noticeboards, and waymarkers on footpaths. The first house we stopped at that afternoon turned out to be the home of some English people who had been to our Phoenix book sale at Montclar the previous week, and they too offered to join in the search. Later that afternoon we met another English family who thought they might have seen her some days previously and they promised to talk to local postmen, put out food and continue walking and calling for her.

And then the near miracle happened. Phoenix got a call the next day from a French lady who had seen the poster in Tursac. But she believed she had seen Phoebe in a village 15 kms north. We phoned the Mayor there and his secretary said she believed she had seen a dog of that description but wasn’t sure. The poster was e-mailed to her and: “Yes – that’s the dog!” she cried. The lady believed that someone in the village had kindly taken Phoebe home but she promised to investigate and let us know. Two agonising hours went by and then it was confirmed that Phoebe was indeed living with a young couple and their daughter. Now she is being cared for by one of our people until she can be reunited with her family.

Association Loi 1901
Siège Social: Les Jabauds, 24380 Vergt

Telephone: (33) 5 53 54 94 81
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