On Friday 27th November Sam was safely home again with Pat and her husband after being missing for two weeks from Ross Street Surrey Hills. He was extremely tired and thirsty and presented very emaciated, foot sore and dirty. From the advert Pat had placed in the local paper she received a call from a lady saying she had seen Sam at Gardiner’s Creek. Pat and her husband searched for hours in the vicinity their heart sinking at every sighting of debris being washed down in the recent flood of rain.
Pat said her husband was crying when they eventually gave up looking as he said he would never see Sam again. On arrival home their answering machine was blinking. There was a call from City of Whitehorse. Their rangers has spent 3 days trying to catch Sam in the vicinity of the railway line around Box Hill as he had been seen by a lady in her front garden 3 days in a row. Unfortunately she didn’t have a gate so every time she approached him he ran away. The rangers tried to catch him by hand on the first two days but on the third day he was back they came armed with a noose and a net and he was taken to the RSPCA. Poor Sam had endured heat of 30 plus degrees and the stormy weather late last week.
Pat asked me to thank all the people around and about the Surrey Hills area who had kept a lookout for Sam. She is most grateful for your help and concern. I guess there is a lesson to be learnt from Sam’s saga. Please put a disc on your whippet’s collar engraved with YOUR mobile phone number as if someone does find your dog especially on a weekend the first person they will contact is YOU. Sam was fortunately microchipped but please make sure YOU chip your dog as this is a sure way to reunited you and your whippet. Now days all registered whippet puppies must be microchipped by their breeders but this has only been in place for a few years so if you are unsure if your whippet is chipped have your Vet run a scanner over him next time you are passing. If he isn’t scanning, for security have him chipped straight away. You might say “my whippet never gets out, so why bother” but you can never predict circumstances. Another thing to remember for people reading this message in circumstances such as Sam’s where the poor dog was terrified beyond belief if anyone sees a whippet in flight and obviously “lost” please don’t chase because the more you try to chase and catch the more they will run. Try to coax with food, or by getting down on your hands and knees and speaking softly to the dog. If the dog does come into your front garden just put a little food down, leave and watch what he does. If he takes the food try coaxing him with more food and an outstretched hand. Try to win his trust. This might take a bit of time and patience but it’s the only way you will catch a very frightened “lost” whippet especially if they an adult. RCM