Brotherly love

Jacob

Gerrard

The last few months have reared some strange happenings.

Not necessarily Jacob orientated sadly, but related to him in other ways, quite literally.

We were advised about a Bracco needing rescue through a posting on a rescue co-ordinaters forum, someone asking for help in how to rehome a dog, and through a few weeks of contacting necessary parties we found ourselves collecting Gerrard another Bracco from a park in Croydon.

The first week of correspondance, we found ourselves wondering if this dog could actually be Jacob, our excitement was heightened, so you can only imagine the intensity of feelings....

but no, this was not him, but as fete has a hand in making things emotionally driven, it was found that the Bracco in question was actually Jacob's litter Brother, who we knew as Dennis back 4 years earlier. How coincidental, it was like he was sent to us, for help and for love, of which he was offered both with open arms.

A wonderful boy whose presence was charming and for what he had been through, he was as solid as a rock, with a heart that just wanted to give and receive loving.

A testament to his breed (and breeding) he is a lovely boy, and definitely has the 'woof factor' in bucket loads.

Sadly as hard as we tried, a testosterone fueled house of 4 entire males was not to work, and we had to resign ourselves that Gerrard was not to stay with us here in Essex.

As broken hearted as we were to have to let him go on to pastures new, we knew were relieved to know he has gone to a wonderful loving and caring home with friends of ours who already have a Bracco girl. Already we know he is settled and is absolutely loved to pieces.

He has well and truly landed on his feet and found his forever home.

A happy ending for Gerrard, yes, a sad for one for us, but we revel happy knowing he is safe and warm, and much doted on. He will truly flourish now.

As for us, we are finding the winter months a hefty reminder of the past year, back in January when Jacob went missing.

I don't know why, but the spring and summer months meant that you were thinking in a different environment, maybe it's one that you feel a dog out there alone could survive in, whereas harsh winter evenings, and frost, and rain means a whole different ending altogether.

I still won't believe he could be roaming the woods and fields, that wouldn't be happening now and probably didn't occur a year ago almost, but your mind does know how to play tricks, and thought processes are mixed on what you actually believe happened.

I have a different view every day.

We have had some wonderful coverage in the Telegraph, along with the great work that Doglost have done and still do on behalf of us owners with dogs that are missing.

We had a photo of Jacob and some of his plight mentioned by their reporter.

A great accomplishment, and we are ever Thankful to Chris, but this article is one which sadly has not bared any fruit as far as phone calls are concerned.

Kind of leaves the avenues to explore a little thinner, what we can do now I really don't know.

We of course never stop wondering where our boy can be, but I guess that will always, always haunt us.

We feel for Ffion and Tim, they have come back from a wonderful trip to South Africa, only to stumble upon Skys missing anniversary a day or two later. I am so sad for them, I wish (WISH) I could right this wrong for us both, but I don't know how or what else I can do. I can only always be there for them as they have for us, and offer Ffion a comfy couch for her (our) 'therapy'.

Ffion is right in saying that there are do-gooders who 'rescue' missing dogs, and feel they have done a wonderful thing taking them into their homes, and not reporting the fact.

I'm torn as to how I feel about the part they play in this situation, as much as i'm happy that they feel they can offer some warmth, food and a cuddle, i'm upset that we as their owners suffer as a result of their kidnap, albeit they are hopefully not coming to any harm.

We are the ones coming to harm by mentally suffering the anguish and the worry.

When I look at Pascha our Bracco puppy, see him playing with his toys and being, well puppyish, devilish, cute beyond words, it's a gentle reminder of what is lost and what was had in Jacob.

Once he was here and just the same as Pascha, growing up loved and cherished, enjoying being part of our lives. Then wham, he is gone.

People have told us to let go of him now, set him free, and I guess this far on you have to quietly move on and have him on your mind but not at the forefront, it's true it's essential to somewhat move on, otherwise you would suffer.

But there is that little fire burning still, a flame that flickers that is there in hope that one day we can be reunited, there will be a phone call, or a knock at the door, someone knowing what has happened, or better still our boy, on the end of a lead with a waggy tail and shoulder hug ready to give.

I know what I will be wishing for......

Happy Christmas to everyone who has followed Jacob's blog, and a huge Thank You also to everyone who has offered help, both physically and mentally. You know who you all are.

Without you we wouldn't have had half the media coverage, support and searches.

To everyone who called us in hope they had seen Jacob, Thank You also.

To the person who knows something or has Jacob, but is holding back, well, if only you know the hurt and the pain you have caused, HOWEVER, for the chance of being reunited, we would forgive anything, not a question asked .... it's never to late to right a wrong.

Where sleeping dogs lie.....

It's been a terribly quiet month, well apart from a lead about a dog that was supposedly a Bracco on a narrowboat called Max, that sadly transpired after 2 weeks of heart in mouth anticipation to be a Rough Coated Lurcher called Max.
I can't tell you, if you haven't been in these rather hard and uncomfortable "lost dog" shoes we are unfortunate enough to be wearing, you just wouldn't begin to believe what this leap of hope can do to you.
You lay awake at night and turn the events of a sighting or information over and over in your head, dissecting it piece by pieces for clues or what ifs.
The whole narrowboat Bracco of course had us thinking it was definitely going to be him as of course he had (in our minds) travelled up to Cambridge, along the canal to Ely, and further onwards having a great adventure until he was moored for the winter in Leeds.
Of course, none of that is even vaguely true, but in the dead of the night, things go through your head and you do believe it could, just could be true.

I don't get how this dog could possibly be seen or named as a Bracco though and as such I still worry about it. But a kind Spinone friend checked this out for us, and I know he can be trusted 100% and was even 'Sherlock' enough to show pics of the dog. Definitely a Rough Coated Lurcher. Damn it :-((

I was saying to Jon yesterday how I'm finding walking the dogs hard this time of year, especially now the weather is going back full circle to the winter months, the same cold, damp weather when Jacob went off.
The spring and the summer have gone, and now before we know it we are heading for Christmas and then onwards will come the dreaded anniversary 21st Jan 2010
I know it will come soon, and it's going to be hard to have that day come round once again.

I wish more than anything that someone will put Jacob on our doorstep on Christmas Eve with a big red bow round his head, saying they couldn't deprive him our love any more, and here he is, Merry Christmas.
Wouldn't that just be fantastic.

I know too that Ffion and Tim will be approaching their boy Sky's anniversary sooner than us.
I feel for them as I know just how hard this will be for them and the absolute efforts they have put in like us to find their boy.
I say it all the time, but these boys of our, how the hell can they just disappear off the planet I will never, EVER know.

Ffion and I do joke that they have met up around Huntingdon, and are now enjoying some party lifestyle with a couple of lost bitches somewhere.
Silly how you try to make the most out of a bad, bad situation when forced to.
I'm glad I met Ffion and Tim, out of this nightmare they are a good thing to have happened and we gratefully share the psychiatrists couch between us when needed.
There's something soothing about someone else being able to really know what your emotions are feeling, and how your heart breaks at every single sighting.

Will we both or either of us ever see our boys again ?
I wish I could say yes, I desperately want to believe they are out there, somewhere, but I just don't know any more, my heart says believe, my head says bury the worry, bury the angst, bury the desperation and hurt once and for all.....
But I can't, I just want to forever believe that maybe one day, just maybe, a call will come and we will be reunited.
I play that vision over in my head in the dead of the night, when I can't sleep for worrying or wondering. I even have 'written' the blog entry to you all here, telling you how overjoyed we are, and how mad we are for not believing he could make it home.
Hmmm..... I'll leave that cyber blog in my head, leave it on a back burner, somewhere safe, in case I might need it one day.

Most of all right now, as the months roll on, and winter sets us all by the computers a little more especially as the darker nights draw in, I would like to say Thank You to everyone here for their support, their kindness, their little comments and encouragement that really do help us get through each day.
It goes without saying that strength can come in many shapes and forms, and virtual strength for us has been overwhelming. For that I have to Thank You from the bottom of my heart.

Keep believing......
...and we'll continue to do the very same.

Acceptance ??

We've gotten to the stage lately where we just don't know what to do to bring Jacob home.

We seem to have not left any stones unturned ??

We've tried tv, radio, newspapers, emailing, postering half of the Essex/Cambridgeshire countryside, but noone, NOONE seems to have seen Jacob. I dispair.

What does this mean -? I dare not to think about it.

Does someone know more than they are telling - ?

Is there something someone locally hasn't had the courage to tell us ?

As time moves forward, and we head near to the 9 month mark, it seems like we have to accept somewhere in our our hearts that our boy might not emerge from the mist, and make it back to his sofa and blanket.

This hurts....just how can this be, where do you draw the line of accepting this, or dismissing it in order to carry on.

That's the question.....acceptance of the situation.

Trouble is, the whole situation with Jacob is not of the norm is it ?

Rare breed, highly distinguishable dog goes off in a familair territory to him, on a bright crisp morning, then dissappears into thin air, never to be seen again.

Think about it, how can that be ? What's the chances ?

Farmers, farm workers, gamekeepers assure us there is no evidence of death about, and that they would probably have seen it on their travels on foot and in vehicles if he was trapped somewhere or lying dead.

So on that day, that fated day, where did he go, and why, WHY did he not make it home like the one other time he got lost.

That time he was 5 miles from home, in non familiar surroundings, and yet, having ran off after pheasants at midday, he was scraping the door at 3am for his bed.

I don't understand the logic of a dog finding his way home miles from his home, and yet not being able to find his way home on his doorstep.

What occurred out there that day haunts me, will always haunt me.

I want answers, closure of sorts. I don't mind the pain of the truth, the heartache it would bring on us, hell we've been there and done that a hundred times over.

It's some form of closure -

.....to be able to say goodbye knowing the truth.

I wish we knew. This wound desperately needs to heal.

I wish we knew if he was living with someone else, was happy, content with his new life if he is alive.

Could he be alive ?

Why would he not have been returned to us if he was found locally.

Did someone pick him up and he is living locally ? Is he miles away ?

I can't see it, he would have been seen by now, noone can keep a dog quietly unseen for almost 9 months can they -

.....but then.....

Maybe he was picked up, and the microchip is defunct?

Maybe even he was found on the road, and again the chip wasn't scanning ?

Surely any vet would Google the breed and contact the breed society repsonsible for the dog ?

I would be certain they would do, knowing a distressed owner out there would be charging around in order to find their dog.

There are just so many uncertainities, conspiracy theories, and yes, they still play out over and over in my mind if I let them. I try hard not to - but they are there - lurking in the background, waiting to pounce given half the chance.

I just wish we knew what happened. But sadly as more time seperates us, we realise, or is that try to accept, that perhaps this scenario won't have a happy ending after all.

You lose the will to look on the bright side as time fades, as in your minds eye there is no bright side.

We couldn't have done more to find our boy, we rest assured of that, but on the flip side, we can't let it beat us, this whole situation taught us that perserverance is our biggest strength, and with that we carry on, we email, we tell people, we still pass on posters and flyers to everyone we can do, just to reach out to another few people is perhaps another 20 or more who know to look out for him.

Wherever you are Jacob, be that looking down on us, or snoozing on a sofa somewhere, be happy, be loved, you deserve that..... I hope you think of us sometime.

Because we think of you always.

Into the limelight

After a relaxing holiday, where too much time means too much thinking, today we made it home to some fantastic news about Doglost and their publicity encompassing Jacob (and all the other lost dogs out there)
We and our friends, as many of you already know, hold a fundraising party in the Essex countryside, to raise much needed funding for the geneticists at the AHT Newmarket to research canine epilepsy.
It started off small, just a group of friends meeting (as we are located far and wide) and now in it's 2nd summer, the party guests have quadrupled and the breeds attending are many.
Word has spread, and through our involvement and support from Doglost, we decided that due to the fabulous work they do, we would fund raise for them as well as Ollie's Fund this year equally.
Today, the owner of Doglost called to say that she had managed to get some publicity for Doglost, and that the Daily Telegraph newspaper would like to interview her at our fundraising party venue in Saffron Walden, Essex on the 29th August, and come along and see how the dog loving public rally and offer support for their canine counterparts. FANTASTIC !
Doglost hope to be able to achieve a 2 page spread in the 'review' section of the Telegraph, coupled with photographs (and hopefully) using Jacob as their example of a dog still lost, and how we, Joe Public won't let him dissappear without a massive campaign and fight.

I admire so much all that the lengths that the founder of Doglost has gone to to to ensure that 86% of our missing dogs get reunited. I refuse to let others become complacent in thinking it'll never be their nightmare, as quite clearly, looking at the pages of dogs every day on their website, it could be anyone's dog being listed as 'lost'. We have to offer support, it is most definitely the right thing to do to give back a little of what I can only say has been a huge support from all the Doglost volunteers. To see Jacob's profile raised alongside valuable monies being raised, would a great day.

We so want Jacob to become another happy ending, and so by fundraising to keep Doglost alive we can only hope our dream can be realised.

Looking forward to seeing lots of you on Saturday 29th, be good to put some faces to names and to see your lovely dogs having a great time too :-)))

These 4 walls.....

It's been a strange month, trying to get our heads around the whole Jacob things hasn't been easy as you know, but sometimes you feel that you just have to pull yourself together and try as best you can to move in a positive direction, looking forward, not back.
We tried to do this, we went on a fabulous holiday to Cornwall with our 3 Spinoni and our friends and their 3 Spinoni too, it was a great time to get away, and came at a much needed time to escape these four walls, especially at a time where they felt like they were slowly closing in on us.

We came back refreshed, and knowing we just had to get on and deal with the fact that Jacob may well be never seen by us ever again.
Harsh, but true. We have to think in real terms now no matter how draining that is.
Deep down we have this hankering thought that one day, maybe in a year, maybe 3 even, that phone call will come out of the blue, as life has moved on, and this whole scenario is a little more distant, maybe only then will the powers that be allow us to be rewarded for our efforts.
Who knows ?

We've had a few different calls with regards to sightings, all of which has sent our hearts racing like mad, only to be pretty quickly hope dashed.
2 EasyJet security staff spotted a Bracco the same as Jacob, and even went to say hello....they soon got wind of a Bracco being missing through a dog forum, and got in touch. For 2 days we made enquiries through the airport and security as well as our own police, only to finally be told it was a well known Bracco owner there meeting her parents from a flight.
Damn it !

Another call telling us of him possibly being on a campsite in Dorset also came to nothing despite our frantic enquiries.
Yet another call only came in at the weekend, and was via a lady that thought she saw Jacob (and this dog she had heard being called Jacob) at a country show.
Again more enquiries threw up nothing.

As much as we try to move on, little snippets keep Jacob firmly in our thoughts - all good in our eyes, we love nothing more than to know that he is still other peoples minds too., and that they are being vigilant......gives us hope if nothing else that if he is out there, someone will slip up one day.

We had a great time last weekend, seeing friends and their dogs for our 1st Spinoni Swim day, and finally met up with Ffion and Tim who have suffered the same in loss with their missing black Labrador Sky (http://skyisstillmissing.blogspot.com/) both of whom delved in at the deep end (though thankfully not literally!) to help out, Tim assuming chief bbq supervisor (well done Tim :-)) and Ffion on bread roll duty !
It was so good for us to meet up, we've all been there for each other for so long it was as if we've known each other all of our adult lives, and I just know we'll stay friends now.
One good thing to come of our lost dogs I guess is that we got to meet.

I will of course keep this blog updated as and when I have some news, or will just drop in for a quick chat, or to offload thoughts with you all. Please continue as best you can to tell people about our boy being missing, it's word of mouth that really does help.

If anyone has any other ideas we haven't addressed as far as advertising or notifying people about Jacob (and Sky) please do get in touch anytime haggerwoods@aol.com

We always are happy to hear new ideas, anything you feel is valid, please do get in touch.

Meanwhile we will work silently in the background keeping our boys profile high, and continue to campaign for his return to his rightful owners..... US.

P.S Please don't forget our fundraising party on 29th August 2009, whereby we will be raising funds for both Doglost and the Animal Health Trust, Newmarket charity we have in our (sadly now gone) epileptic Spinoni's name. Ollie's Fund for Canine Epilepsy Research raises much needed funds for the sole research into canine epilepsy.
We desperately need to raise funding to help the geneticists continue their work into this rapidly increasing and truly horrific canine disease.
A disease which is savagely taking far too many dogs lives before they even have a chance to begin.

Details of both our charity and the party can be found here
http://www.adoredpaws.com/page24.htm

http://www.aht.org.uk/supporting_appeals.html#ollie

Treading Water

Another few weeks have passed us by, just where does the time go ?

For some reason these days I dread having to update this blog, not in the way of dreading to do the actual task of writing it, but just because there isn't anything new to report, and I just feel sometimes it's all such a let down as I would love nothing more than to write here telling of the joys of reclaiming the love of our lovely boy, him being safely tucked up under his favourite duvet, safe, that's the thing, him being safe.

We don't know if he's safe or not right now, and yesterday we were walking round a local market in the sunshine only to see a huge drove of (what I can only call) unsavouries, causing hassle to a stall holder, him no doubt feeling very much outnumbered by this extended family who were causing trouble.

I looked at these people and thought to myself oh I hope that Jakey doesn't have these kind of people in his life. For one he would be terrified, secondly it would break him as Jacob just didn't do worry very well, and certainly hated being in the bad books of anyone (of which was almost never).

When I think of him being alive, I envisage him cuddled up with a families kids, being walked through a meadow or lovely field, good food in his bowl (any food in his bowl would be good). You just try not to stop and dwell on the flipside of that harmonious vision, the twee all is rosy thoughts do sometimes get positively overpowered by the darker side to this whole scenario. I hate it when I get thinking too much, what's that saying 'curiosity killed the cat'.

We're trying to stay positive, just generally, about the fact that in fact he could be out there somewhere, just sometimes thoughts can pull you in the opposite direction and you have this sudden urge to be over realistic, be too damn thoughtful of the other things that could have happened.

That said I have weighed things up, and actually having gone through the whole motions and the weather, and the fact that Jacob is a 'Jacob' (if you know Bracco you will understand this comment!) - and I think that perhaps yes maybe, he has been picked up by someone early on. The snow and bad weather didn't get to us for some 10 days after he was missing, so although the weather was poor, and very cold prior, it wasn't exactly life threatening (only maybe to a 'Jacob' perhaps). I find it hard to imagine him not going to someone and saying hey, i'm lost, help ! But if someone has him, they are doing a sterling job of his containment, and that in itself is the deciding factor of whether we actually can beleive he is being kept unknowingly.

We can send a thousand emails, poster hundreds of roads, but it doesn't mean every person necessary is reached. That's the worry and why blogs like this and email rallies are essentially the way forward, they each can widen the spread of his being missing that little bit further.

Right now it's all we have, so we are ever thankful to each and every person who offers us help, without you all we'd be more despairing than we already are.

We have to just keep treading this water in the hope that we don't eventually sink.

We try every day to remain positive about the situation, we really do, but deep down inside, it hurts like a gaping wound, it heals slowly, and then opens up and bleeds all over again.

I just hope that wherever Jakey is, he is happy, being treated as he should, and is healthy and safe. Most of all I hope he is as much loved as he should be, he deserves nothing less than that for what he's endured.

Fraudsters and Jealousy

Another weeks races by, another week of silence.

Just where is our dog, it's not a hard question is it.

How is that other dogs go missing and you see them desperately being added to Doglost, and then hours or a day later there they are on the reunited page of the same website.

I had this same scenario only today. Yesterday a dog, an Airedale was lost in Saffron Walden, it was added to http://www.doglost.co.uk/ and we added posts offering our help if needed, being the veteran dog searchers that we are. (What a claim to fame that is)

Only today when I checked on this dog did I panic not having seen it listed in the lost section, fears growing I searched through the reunited to be met happily with a post that the Saffron Walden dog was back home where she belonged. Phew !

Now that, a happy ending I know you will agree is fantastic news, but deep down through my happiness I felt utter pangs of sheer jealousy that that was not what happened with us. Why did our dog go missing and since that day never been spotted. Beggars belief really that in this somewhat small rural community a dog as blatantly obvious as Jacob can disappear.

To where though ? where did he go ? what happened to him, who had him, did someone knock him over and sling him into a ditch ? There are some that would do that if they could get away with it. Not everyone wants to confront owners with their dead dog do they ?

Could he have been hassling farmers game, even seen harassing those deer he was on the tail of ? I just don't know if he got shot for doing just that, that we would ever get to know, and this whole nightmare of not knowing will surround us forever, always making us jump when the phone rings showing a number we don't know or recognise.

We are at that stage where we want to know, and if someone did know something, then I just wish they would put us out of our misery, as misery is just what it is.

As you sit reading this safe in the knowledge that your furkids are with you, I am utterly jealous of that fact. I don't mind admitting it - it's not fair !

The whole "Welwyn-Kath" scenario is coming to a head finally.

Having liaised with Hatfield Police, who are keen for us to divulge anything we can remember or offer in way of texts/messages etc, this woman, actually named Joann Wood, amongst other aliases, is being sentenced soon on the 6 counts of fraud as well as 2 other cases of possession of type A drugs. She is nothing short of an evil-minded woman out to target those terminally ill, or the elderly who are befriended in the hope that they can be sentimental enough to buy her own story that she is dying of bowel cancer.

How anyone can lie about having cancer is beyond me. A disease that everyone has been touched by, be that having seen someone they love die or battle the disease it's shocking someone like her can betray these vulnerable people. I hope that she will be sentenced to a long stretch taking into account her prey.

You can read all about here http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/4433778.Woman_conned_cancer_victims_for_cash/

All very upsetting to be honest. Although we never trusted this lady, her intentions with regard to Jacob seemed genuine. Jon having directly asked her if she was making all the contact with the so called men at the lakes "Phil" and "Alan" up were met with "absolutely not, I would never do that to you" in reply.

Just goes to show, who do you trust, looks can be very deceiving.

One thing I will say though, is that first night when she called, something, call it intuition told me something was not right, but over time, in the hope of being reunited with Jacob that doubt, although still beckoning me to listen, was still there, hence we saved all voice messages and texts from her.

We are never going to be certain if she had her hands on Jacob at any time, after all she was motivated by one thing, and one thing alone, money. That would insinuate that the £1000 reward may have been the lure for her. She could have had him, knew of him, and hid him for the reward money, accomplices to do the hiding wouldn't be far from her mobile phone contacts of that i'm sure.

I guess now we will never know what the truth was. I'm assured by those in the know that little truth comes from her lips, so we have to reason what has become apparent is that she knows very little difference between reality and fiction. She evidently managed to forget her 'own self' sometimes as she decided to be a vet, policewoman and was also in the armed forces and a nurse amongst other well thought of professions. I think she truly lost the difference between who she really was each day she woke up.

I'm sorry for those elderly and ill victims of hers, for them the loss is great and is materialistic in that they lost pounds and pence, whereas our loss is purely just hope, even though it feels much greater than that.

Right now the plan is to ride on the back of the polices press releases, and hope that the nationals as well as local papers will pick up on our link to her story.

Will keep you posted of course of any developments.

Please keep spreading the word for our boy wherever you feel you can.

It's you guys that may just stumble across someone who knows something.

Back to basics

After a strange week of highs and then lows we've made the decision that we need to start our postering campaign right from the very beginning.
That is, start postering the local areas again, and then work out to the other bigger town in our main circumference.

Sometimes I feel we can do no more than we are already doing, but there's always something that we can do, and it feels really good to be pro active in the search.

We've heard some wonderful stories of dogs like Jacob literally disappearing off the face of the planet, and then suddenly appearing though misleading microchips or similar situations.

I know i've said about it previously in my posts, but the whole microchip situation worries me greatly, so so many people have come froward and told of their dogs going on to rehomes and being missing for years having being lost, only to be rehomed by some rescues, the original chip still in place.

It's shocking really, but if every vet and rescue thoroughly checked each and every dog properly this surely wouldn't be happening. I know it's difficult and the rescues time is hard to come by, and yes before anyone yells at me (!) I know they do a wonderful job. I just worry Jacob could be somewhere unknowingly sitting on someones sofa, happy in his new home, thinking his proper family have abandoned him for good. I can't tell you the feelings that raises in me, sort of a vicious twist of raging jealousy alongside anger and frustration.

Other theories brought to the forefront are that of him being shot by farmers for pestering their deer or their game. It has, and obviously can/could have happened. I just wish to god someone if they knew something would come forward, albeit they could do it anonymously, at least we could move forward and have that closure. This is nothing short of an open wound that won't heal. An itch you can't scratch.

Hmmmm......I just wish we knew where or what had happened to our boy.

Thankfully there are some brighter things on the horizon for us hopefully, and the summer months ahead always make you smile don't they, a little bit of sunshine, well it just makes everything seem that little bit better no matter how crappy things are.

We did have a high at the beginning of the week. A call came through from a lady known to friends of ours who own Bracco in the north, this ladies neighbour had recently rehomed a dog from a rescue there.

The long and short of that was that having spent time at the shelter viewing their dogs for rehoming she noticed what she believed to be a Bracco.

This call unfortunately came in late at night, so we had a restless night wondering and getting quite excited, and at 8am we called the rescue. The dog they said the lady had viewed was a Harrier Hound, another rare breed dog, and was not a Bracco.

The lady was sure the dog she came across at the rescue was orange and white, and the Harrier Hound (Logan) on their website, www.strayaid.co.uk was definitely lemon if anything, so we raised a few queries, alongside the fact that the lady on rescuing her little dog from the rescue kennels was given the story that her dog and the 'Braccoish' dog both were brought up from the south having been found by gypsies. To us this all seemed very credible it could have been Jacob, so as I said a restless night ensued.

The Bracco friend in the north very kindly actually went to the shelter and face to face he asked questions to be reassured that there was definitely never any Bracco in their care, and that every dog is listed on their website as part of their protocol.

I guess we have to accept that as being fact, nothing else we can do, we couldn't accuse them as we have no back up and we know from vast experience that sometimes it's easy to make a mistake as to to what you see. It's no ones fault, and we are always happy for anyone to query with us any dogs they feel might be our boy. Better safe than sorry.

One day, no matter how far into the future that one call, the one that says, yes we really do have your boy could well come in, and be the one that reunites us all. The Ginger Army are ever battle ready in the meantime, we are still here, emailing and phoning anyone that we feel should be made aware our boy is out there missing.

Just need that call now......

....as where's there's a mission, there's forever hope.

After the long silence.....

I can now tell you some news as to why.......

Today, after helping police with their enquiries, the lady (if you can call her that) Kath who apparently sighted Jacob on the 18th March with a man in Stanborough Lakes, Welwyn, was arrested and charged on 6 counts of Fraud, and 2 unrelated cases.
She was a parasite delving into retired persons lives, and defrauding them of money for investment and for fake cancer treatment.
She is a career criminal, one of the lowest forms of person that can walk the earth.
She never had cancer, something she claimed she was taking treatment for currently,
alongside that and the deception, most probably had she ever seen Jacob.

She had become an arms length 'friend' to us these past few months, offering us hope and getting us running about Welwyn in order that we spot someone walking our dog.
Hell, she even had Jon rushing back from Coventry one day on the knowledge that a fishing match was taking place, and that the man with Jacob would no doubt be there.
The time, hope, and money invested in her web of lies and deceit were purely there for her to worm her way into our lives and hopefully groom us in order to defraud.

Good thing is that we never trusted her, deep down we knew there was a hug niggle about that woman. I tried desperately to trust her, but things just didn't make sense, and things she said to us made us question her motives.
Knowing my maiden name without me having ever told her it, raised eyebrows.
She was obviously seeking information about my family, possibly with a view to defraud them.

Her home is not her home, it's a place where she rents a room, her car, is not her car, it's a friends car.
All a web of lies.
She even was arrested under another name, and by Midlands Police unit.

The whole thing has been deeply upsetting for us.
I know that in the great scheme of things we have come away without any losses other than that in time and hope but it hurts just as deeply as if someone had robbed us of every penny we had.
We now have no starting place to find our boy, no doubt he was never in the Welwyn area, and even if she (once questioned this week) tell the Police she definitely didn't make up the sighting, then how do we ever believe her.
I guess we will know as she will have to give the name of the man she said had had him and Police will investigate them too if they actually exist (which I very much doubt they did)

Such a terrible twist of fete we could have well done without.

No sightings in all these months is just leaving us at a loss as to what to do next, where to look next. What else can we do other that live in the hope that if someone, somewhere has Jacob, they will slip up and he will be seen and reported.

Meanwhile, the ever loyal Ginger Army will continue to email vets, and Dog Wardens nationwide to alert them to his being missing.
Once we are able legally, we will try to alert the papers of the evil twist in the the tale that's occurred, and reason that the 'angle' they needed is now there to allow him some much needed press attention.

Thoughts are in our heads as to maybe he did succumb to the weather back in January, or was shot by the farmers for pestering their livestock or game.
We just have so many conspiracy theories too.....the mind just ticks over at a rate of knots given half the chance, and comes up with all sorts, but no definite answers sadly.

One things for sure though, we will never give up and that deep lodged area of hope in our hearts will be there forever.
We now just wait, and hope for answers, some closure in one way or another.

Microchip Madness ??

Have 2 weeks really passed us by ?

Surely not .........

The past 2 weeks have been what I can only express as quiet, sad, and deeply frustrating.

There hasn't been one call from anyone sighting our boy, nor has there been any news whatsoever from Welwyn.....to say we are at loss........ well it's really the truth.

What happens next ? Where do we go to from here ?

Well what happens next is that we carry on, and continue to be pro-active.

Set those publicity cogs whirring into action, and alert vets, rescues and dog wardens again, as well as re-alert those people we initially made contact with that Jacob is still out there, missing.

One thing I have to tell you is that we have be lucky enough to get 4 A4 pages of coverage in two of the UK's leading dog magazines, Dogs Monthly and Dogs Today both covered our appeal and story for Jacob and we truly cannot Thank Beverley and Caroline enough for this.

Both magazine copies are available now if you want to read the article. It's the June editions.

We didn't know both would run the article, but we are pleased all the same that Jacob has been able to gain this much needed publicity.

http://www.dogstodaymagazine.co.uk/ http://www.dogsmonthly.co.uk/

The huge audience that they cover between them will hopefully reach out further for Jacob to be seen somewhere, and we can be alerted of him perhaps being unknowingly with a new owner who is looking at the magazines for new dog ownership help.

These past weeks have taught us a huge lesson too.

To not get complacent that almost everyone who needs to know our dog is missing knows....

.....Spread the word he is still missing comes across very clear.

We have had 3 calls in from members of the public who have read the article and whom have had differing stories of their dogs being taken, be that lost or stolen, and whom have eventually been rescued by dog rescues, and vets, and whom have all been microchipped.

These dogs were either sent on to rescue kennels, having been passed first to a local vet, or they have gone the whole hog so to speak, and have fully experienced the rehome procedure.

All good, but with one common problem......they have been rehomed with the original owners chip still intact.

One poor lady who called us telling of her a 4 month old rare breed dog who had been stolen, and that she was pretty sure she knew where her puppy was, and was 99% sure who had taken him.

Armed with this information sh went to the police, but unfortunately they were helpless at that time, and were not able to be of help for many months sadly.

This lady, well she had to pretty much sit back and wait it out.

Meanwhile she was trawling the streets daily in case these thieves slipped up, and in the hope of seeing her boy, this situation only culminating in him getting found by police, when finally the premises where he and others were kept were raided by police.

You would hope that was the end of her ordeal, knowing that this puppy was only 4 months old when stolen, but no, this pup was taken to the vets to be checked, microchipped, then passed to this large scale rescue. Remember here that he is already microchipped by the original owner.

It was only the final vet check prior to rehome procedures some weeks later, and a savvy person properly scanning this dog, that thankfully the scanning showed up 2 chips (one inserted by the vet) and the original chip....It was through the 1st chips older date the owner finally had that long awaited call.

Sadly this was many months later, so she was reunited with a dog that she had lost all puppyhood with, and who was now an adult.

The happy ending was that he still recognised her, and her other dog too.

I feel she was very, very lucky, but the dog was even more so.

We have had echoes of this ladies story actually, something I was scared of to be honest.

One man called and said he had been advised his dog was in a rescue centre many miles from his home, he of course rang them, was told no that dog is most definitely not here, but thankfully he couldn't let this knowledge rest, and his curiosity got the better of him.

Having driven over 200 miles to the rescue in question, there was his dog, staring back at him in a kennel, microchip firmly in place.

He said they had quoted lack of time as being the reason the microchip had got missed, and their time was 'about the animals welfare'. Surely that 'welfare' extends it's right to being reunited with it's legal owner.

Pretty shocking really as I thought that was the whole idea of having your dog microchipped in the 1st place.

Now don't get me wrong, i'm truly not knocking the procedures and good work these charities and rescues do, that wouldn't be right, as they do an awful lot of good and save many dogs lives through their efforts. Most do not run on huge budgets, and time is at a premium.

However, i'm told that sometimes a dog that is chipped, and perhaps whose chip has migrated to a strange place in their body, needs to be scanned very thoroughly for it to be found.

Some half and hour perhaps to locate it.

Now, how many charitable organisations have half an hour per dog to check a dog is microchipped ? I would think that they have other pressing priorities, and that is getting the dog vet checked and settled to relieve stress, and I would say that takes priority over half an hour of scanning.

In their eyes, there wouldn't be enough hours in the day otherwise would there ?

It's all so difficult to know how this could be remedied. Their good intentions are commendable, but we need these dogs scanned properly by everyone involved in the rescue process, that is from dog wardens, vets, and rescues. Surely with 3 people in the process, at least one of them could extend to that thorough scanning process.

My argument would be that spend the half an hour, and they would be spared the expense of spending time and money caring for a dog that perhaps a few hours later could be reunited in the care of it's original owners, and they are then of course, spared any expense for vet care and food.

It's a difficult situation I know, and one which I don't know the answer to.

All said and done time is money, and time is sometimes not a luxury a rescue outfit has.

It's all about the dogs welfare, safety and health.

I would say that perhaps sometimes dogs do fall through the loop and microchips do get missed along the way.

The contact i've had from people these past 16 weeks tell me this is in fact true, as much as I don't want to believe it does happen, they assure me it does.

I'm now terrified in case Jacob has become a victim to the whole scanning procedure, and that he has endured the process of perhaps being picked up as a stray, kenneled, and duly rehomed.

I reason with myself that I would be more than happy to know this happened (hmmmm!?)

Thinking it through, I guess as it would mean that through that mistake, he was loved and cared for, and most of all safe.

If I had a phone call from someone saying they couldn't give him up and he was safe it would make things okay in the end wouldn't it ?......(okay, I would hunt them down, but that's besides the point lol!) but at the end of the day, you have to remember one thing. He is ours.

The microchip inside him, well it states that doesn't it.

It should be the one single factor that means he makes his way home.

So why isn't it ?

The other thing that has prayed on my mind again is that he isn't out there to be found.

As harrowing as those thoughts are for us both, they are ones that we have to be reason with.

That bad weather the few weeks after his disappearance, and the fact that in reality he has hardly been spotted in 17 weeks. It makes you be reason to yourself, more for the fact that you need answers, closure, purely for your own sanity.

How can we go on and on like this is beyond me. It hurts like hell.

The publicity machine isn't interested to be honest, and believe me we have tried endlessly to reactivate the tv and radio interest. I can see their point, there is no story other than a missing dog, but it still doesn't help.

A read out on national tv, a 20 second appeal, it could do wonders.

I have to say a huge Thank You to the ladies who gave us their 'Jacob' boards complete with posters and information, and whom between them printed off thousands of leaflets and handed them out at shows for us.

Your generosity of time and effort taken to do these is just fantastic, Thank You.

We will do our best to visit Paws in the Park http://www.pawsinthepark.net/ this year to flyer the public there, and also we'll be contacting this week lots of the UK's country game fairs and shows that are going on.

Someone there may know about Jacob if he's being kept local to them.

Hell, he could even be being walked around these shows and going by unnoticed ?

Please, if anyone sees a white and orange Bracco anywhere, can you please stop that person and ask questions.

Jacob has a small lump on his left shoulder, like a small nodule under the skin that is the size of a small pea, so run your hand there if you are unsure.

Sadly I never heard back from the Eastbourne dog warden, but have left messages at the council there, and sent emails.

So the Bracco seen there by this lady has gone by, and even through a mass of emails between Bracco owners and puppy purchasers amongst them, we really don't know whose dog that was.

It could have been Jacob for all I know.

I would hope that any dog warden, or any person whatsoever seeing an orange and white Bracco, and being aware Jacob is out there, would approach any owner nicely and ask where they bought him from. I would never take offence at anyone asking me about any of my dogs, it would make me feel happy being advised of the circumstances to any questions, that there were people willing to come forward and authenticate me !

There are only so many Bracco breeders, and so they would know where a particular dog originated from, their traceability would be pretty easily done.

Today and this week will be spent contacting rescues once again, dog wardens, and vets.

I will also take time again this week to research gypsy liaison officers further in the hope they will not take offence at me contacting them, and they will keep a look out on their site visits.

Finally, sorry this blog ended up such a ramble of thoughts, but rest assured that we are still here, working behind the scenes in order to bring our handsome chap home where he belongs.

Thanks for keeping Jacob's search alive, and for all of your positivity, it helps more than you will ever know.

Eastbourne Bracco

We had a call this morning from Sue Criddle who is the dog warden in Eastbourne.

She was off duty on Sunday, and saw a Bracco the same colouring as Jacob being walked along the seafront in Eastbourne at around 12-12.30

We are obviously now in touch with everyone we know that is connected with the Bracco society, so that we can find out if this dog is owned by someone there, or perhaps someone is/was on holiday or a day trip with their Bracco at that time.

I am sure it's someone out having a nice time, and all is above board, but then.....

.....well you never know.

We're thankful to Sue for being so vigilant and spotting this Bracco, and getting in touch with us.

Thanks Sue.

If anyone knows of friends/relatives/friends or friends etc that have a Bracco and possibly could have been seen in Eastbourne, please get in touch or email me at haggerwoods@aol.com

Will let you know any developments.

On the hunt for Lady Godiver !

It's been a busy week over at Ginger Army HQ, the nationwide Ginger platoon has been busy emailing and we have had some fantastic help at agility shows, dog shows, and a fab effort at The Kent Country Show to name a few things that were being covered in 'gingerness' this weekend.

Thanks to all the girls for all you've done, a fab effort all round.

Welwyn has gone very quiet, in fact too quiet for our liking, but what we need to do right now is sit back and wait for more sightings, we just can't do any more there for the time being, we have driven there too many times to count, and have spent countless hours walking and skulking around those estates and dog walking areas.....sadly we seem to be getting nothing in return.

It's time to wait, and be pro-active in other ways around the area as well as nationwide.

We have had companies ranging from hauliers to drain clearance operatives emailing and phoning saying they have Jacob's posters and are on the lookout around the area, the whole response has been fantastic.

If he is around that area, one day soon, we'll surely get that call.

I'm assured 'a watched pot never boils' so we'll revert to a gentle simmer now, and just 'watch' from afar.

We've been investigating into large roadside banners, but alas the expense of doing that seems unreachable and hugely costly. Shame really as if I had my dream every major motorway would have a banner with MISSING and Jacob's photo on it !

Our next thoughts though are to a toned down version perhaps, in that we'll find someone with a huge printer that can make some A3 or AO sized posters for us, which somehow we'll make watertight, and place near major motorway and A road exit points.

I'm told that I have to get police involvement in doing this, or alert the Highways people to get permission ? I guess i'll need to look into that before I get carted off to the cells for littering or endangering public lives !

(Note to self, carry spare knickers and toothbrush at all times !)

A fab achievement to tell you off though is that Jacob has a little photo on the front cover of Dogs Today magazine (June edition) and an article inside sharing part way of our search story.

This is a great surprise, and I am ever Thankful to Beverley (Editor of dogs Today) for raising his profile to even greater heights, and to an even huger audience. Thanks Beverley.

http://dogstodaymagazine.co.uk/

Sadly, tomorrow marks the 15 week mark for Jacob being missing, definitely a point where it's made us realise that time is most certainly moving on, and moving on fast.

I can't quite get my head around the fact that we haven't seen him for all those weeks, and of course we wonder every day what he's doing, who he's with, is he actually alive.

So many questions we'd love to have answers to, but no way of knowing really.

Some days are harder than others it has to be said, and we both find that keeping busy is the way to keep him at the forefront of our mind. It's good to be actively out there doing Jacob related tasks, but at the same time we long for a worry free day, and one where we just make plans looking forward.

We finally have decided to go ahead with Ollie's Fundraising party (Ollie's Fund for Canine epilepsy Research for the AHT) which we organise twice a year usually, but which had been sadly relegated to a back burner whilst the Jacob search went ahead.

It'll be nice to have something else to occupy the hours, and a little focus attached elsewhere can't be a bad thing. Not taking away focus for Jaocb of course, just a different few hours spent elsewhere on a nother matter close to our hearts.

Anyone wishing to join us for the party just email me for details. Haggerwoods@aol.com

The party will take place in CB11 area on Saturday 29th August (Bank Holiday weekend)

Dogs, Children and adults all welcome, all profits to charity.

It's always a great fun day out, and safe and secure for the dogs and children alike.

Last summer I think we had almost a hundred adults, 20 children and about 86 dogs, and were duly blessed with sunshine !

Moving forward is a good thing I guess, but we still need to keep emailing anyone and everyone we can to keep the search in people's attention.

Unfortunately generally the TV people are not really interested, still stating there isn't a valid angle only that he's 'lost'.

That's really annoying and sad for us to hear, purely as they are most likely the ones that indirectly hold the key to him getting found.

So what's the angle they need ? I just don't know really........

Perhaps we need a volunteer to ride naked on horseback (a la Lady Godiva) through the streets of Coventry (in fact any city or town would suffice, we really aren't fussy!) banner proudly being waved enthusiastically overhead stating Jacob's appeal !!!

Sigh.... If only I were a svelte 8 stone Jordan breasted woman ....oh and I could competantly ride more than 10ft on horseback !!

Now that'd be an angle wouldn't it lol !

Volunteers gratefully received of course ;-))

Wrinkles and BBQ weekends

I'm pretty sure that having turned forty now, there are a few more wrinkles appearing now and I would swear they arrived Sunday morning, my first official day of being 'over 40'.....
Coincidence, hmmm, maybe, Estee Lauder has promises that need fulfilling me thinks ;-)
I can honestly say that perhaps these wrinkles are born from stresses related to this search, but to be truthful I would have the face of the 'Bride of Wildenstein', (no 'what do I mean would' comments please !) if it were to bring our boy home safely (okay, well perhaps not that bad, could I bargain for a 'Jackie Stallone' maybe ??!!!)

So the weekend came, the weekend went, without a call or whisper about our boy or his whereabouts.
We ventured off to Welwyn (i'm so fed up with that place already) for another days driving and walking round like 2 lost souls.
Everyone it seemed thought that the sudden whiff of summer arriving meant they needed to be stay at homes, and not venture further than their garden, obviously enjoying bbq's and lazy sleeps, even the usual ice cream man we relied upon for our '99's was not about.
It was eerily quiet about that place, and of course hardly a dog in sight meant no Jacob lookalikey's were being walked anywhere.

We managed to find yet more places to walk, odd places down the back of tracks and fishing places we would never know were there for stumbling into dead end tracks when trying to find our way.
Early evening we eventually gave up, and went to our friends for much needed wine and a roast dinner.
Sitting outside their garden backing onto acres of farmland, all quiet and the sun on our backs, we now knew why everyone else had also been doing the same all afternoon !

It's a case now I think that we sit back and wait with the whole Welwyn situation.
We need more people to ring and verify they have seen this dog, be it be or not be our boy, we just wish others would call to tempt us back there with renewed vigour.

I think we have spent enough time over that way to feel confident in the people who are there every day, walking, working, driving about, there are lots of good people making that area pretty covered for us.

Back home at Ginger HQ the girls are back at their computers emailing every person and organisation we can think of, in all different places.
The hunt goes on, the word needs spreading round again, we need to keep Jacob fresh in people's minds, and try our best to rack up some publicity.
We have people at shows and country fairs across the country this weekend, all of whom will be flying the Jacob flag on our behalf. Thank You guys and girls for helping us keep the Ginger Whinger flag flying well and truly higher..

We have a few irons in the fire still, they've been burning a while as you know, but they are getting hotter and hopefully might come to fruition next week.
I won't specify now, but will fill you in on the finer details once we know anything from the plan that's ahead.

I am off now to email every conceivable dog food manufacturer and online pet supplier that I can rustle up. I want them to send our email to their customer list if possible.....
You know me, give me a bone and i'll dig a trench for it !

Longing for the Ginger Whinger

Well, the sun is out, the sky is most definitely blue, but Jacob oh Jacob - where the hell are you.....

This week has been eerily quiet.
Not a single call has come in to say that anyone has seen a Jacob-lookalikey, it's all been very frustrating to say the least.
Eyes have been around Welwyn, but nobody has seen this dog.
We did have a call late on Sunday evening, about 11pm, it was a private number, but we could just hear background noise, like someone was listening.....noone spoke. Is it Jacob related, a weird call, a wrong number perhaps (are we're getting extremely paranoid!?)
Who knows.

I am thinking that maybe this man has decided that he doesn't like the hunt that he feels is going on and has decide to go underground with him.

Someone pointed out to us this week, that knowing Jacob as they do, if they had looked after him for a few weeks, they would find his bright personality and endearing ways hard to resist falling for, so maybe this is the probelm. The person who has him be it he's at Welwyn or Inverness, well maybe this is why no calls - they have decided they don't want to give him up.

This most definitely has struck a chord.
Maybe Welwyn man has fallen for Jacob (if it is him) and is reluctant to give him up.
Sort of 'finders-keepers' playing itself out in his head.
The thing is here, that if the dog is Jacob then he isn't his/theirs to own.
We are the legal owners of him, and therefore he belongs quite rightly to us.
We have all the evidence needed to back up this 'claim', and the relevant documents and photographic evidence to show he is ours.
In his heart, if the man is avoiding us, how fair on the dog is that (let alone us) ?
Any dog (least of all Jacob who would drive someone insane by his constant walkies requests!) needs a good run each day, so to shut it up inside a garden or house (no matter how big) and keep a low profile, well it just can't go on forever.
More than anything, we simply won't go away, not ever !
Time to come forward and let us have our boy back if it's him.

Noone can knowingly be so callous to deprive a family of it's pet surely, I urge if anyone reading this has Jacob, or has been 'sighted' wrongly by owning a dog that may be being mistaken for him, come forward, contact someone if you can't do it yourself, even text us and let's 'talk'.
We all need to move forward.

We have some 'irons in the fire' right now, and have some ideas which we're working on as far as publicity is concerned, so I will keep you all up to date when those are put into action.

Most of all we will keep hope alive that someone will be in touch really soon.
We're at the 13 weeks point now. Hard to believe I know, but we are.
I remember the early days like a distant memory now, just feels like years to us.
Watching back some video footage the other evening was hard, it's like you can reach out and touch them, but they aren't there. How can this have happened, I really don't know.
How the heck did we get to this ?
It's pretty unbelievable really isn't it.

Still, positive thinking, a pro-active approach coupled with only looking forward, must bring him home one day.
I look forward for experiencing that day I really do. I know exactly how my FOUND email will read, i've 'sleep' written it a hundred times over already.
It's all 'there' waiting to be typed and sent.
I never longed to send such an email in my life before.
Wish it was soon.....
......Tomorrow being the 'big day' -
I so need that boy here to make it the best day ever, red ribbon tied neatly, him crowing cheekily as if nothing has happened - wouldn't that be the BEST present ever :-)