Hunting high and low

I wanted to add this photo as it occurred to me today that we have never showed a photo of the top of Jacob's head.
The 2 'diamonds/paint splodges' on the top of his head are quite distinguishable, so it's good to show them clearly here, just in case it helps.

I think firstly I have to make my apologies for the lack of posts in the last 5 days.

It's been very hard not to bring you up to date, but the news we have to update this blog with should always be so that you can know what we have done and by doing that, ultimately what we achieved from it.

Firstly at the start of the week, we had information given to us that suggested that Jacob was with the local hunts people/terriermen.

I now those of you have followed us in Jacob's search will know that we have had calls before to the same tune, but this time we had a little more credible information, and some that had some weight to them in their suggestion. I can't be more specific at this point as I have to make consideration that perhaps, just perhaps, whoever has our boy could well be reading this just as you are now.

I just can't risk too much detail as it could well perhaps endanger his life, the very thing we fear most.

I don't think it would ever come to that, and forgive me for sounding so dramatic, but it's difficult (and as much a I want to share everything) I have to be careful this week to not take on specifics.

Please therefore forgive me for that. I will of course, once this is all explored and fully investigated tell you what has been going on. Hopefully it will be good news, we so, so hope so.

So, back to the beginning of the week, and on a bright Monday morning we found ourselves driving round all the local (and not so local) hunt kennels, just to satisfy ourselves that Jacob was not there, or being held by them accidentally, or for whatever purpose intended.

I have always maintained they had no reason to keep our dog.

They have their own breeding programmes and on the travels around we met some of those involved who did explain that breeding a dog like Jacob, a HPR, to a hound, it was not guaranteed that any puppies resulting to be born, would have that naturally occurring instinct as their own hounds would have. It would be therefore deemed too risky, and I for one would accept that as fair reason for them to not have him.

All the same we were offered at one of the local hunts, a look around which we did, and although the rest we visited seemed somewhat nervous at our arrival, they were happy to talk to us about Jacob, and took our posters stating they'd call if they saw him.

We couldn't ask for more than that really under the circumstances.

After all I am sure they get saboteur's arriving on their doorsteps, and that would account for their nervous approach and standoffish behaviour.

We made sure that we postered the areas on route too, so that was another 100 or so posters were put out even further afield.

Driving along at lunchtime, I think we had a call from the teenager who called with her sweet apology some 24hrs earlier.

Obviously thinking a little more than before, she decided she'd withhold her number this time (police say this is actually still reversible so good to know for the future should we need to trace any calls)

I am not sure (and won't apologise if it's not her as once bitten and all that)....but she put on the same accent a I remembered from before, and then as soon as she waited for me to answer, my silence obviously annoyed her, as it materialised that she had, and was playing up to her teenage audience (how very grown up she was!) and they proceeded to 'egg' her on to "put her on speaker phone" and loudly shouted out "we've got you do-o-og" whereby I rang off.

Idiots.

I am sure I was never so cruel as a teenager.

Monday evening was rounded off nicely for us by another text, a different number this time, and simply said "we just saw your dog".

Oh happy days...just what you need before bedtime.

Stupid as it is, it affects you, I can't explain why, but it does. I am sure whoever wrote that would take joy in reading me write that, but I think all that's gone on this week, it has helped us lick our wounds and move on with our heads held high.

Wednesday evening this week came a huge (possible) breakthrough. I had a call from a lovely lady who had said she had taken regular daily walks in a park about an hour from us, had been doing these walks for a long time (won't mention the place for reasons that will become apparent) and had obviously come to meet regular dog walkers in that time.

She had met a guy that used to have a dog until a few months ago, and sadly that dog had died, and hence he hadn't been going for walks any more......

Until last week.

He had acquired a new dog, he had bought for £100 from travellers.

The description this lady has given matches Jacob in almost every way possible, and of course would make sense why he has not been seen locally for almost 8 weeks.

He could have been passed pillar to post and eventually ended up in the hands of this man, and as much as I am pleased/relieved he is perhaps with, what seems to be from information we have, a caring person, we are absolutely out of our minds with worry about getting him back.

The lady who offered us this vital information (I won't name her here) told us times he was seen walking the dog in question, and where abouts he walked it.

She kindly looked at this blog and said that the top photo (as was) of Jacob in the hay bag, really looked like the dog she'd seen.

She mentioned his silky soft ears, his ginger colouring (very orange) and his freckles.

This coupled with the height issues etc.

She even said the man who had said dog, mentioned how when he lit a fire, he was so close to it he was almost in it ! (anyone knowing Jacob knows how he adores fires, and lies as close as he can without physically being burnt alive!)

I felt physically sick after I heard all of this, my heart felt like we had a chance again.

It was a fantastic feeling after such awful, awful weeks.

The description she gave to us and the mannerisms felt so close to Jacob that when she was describing him, I could almost feel and touch him. It is without doubt the closest thing we've ever had. We both felt sick with anticipation when we spoke to this lady that evening, and came away desperate to know more.......is it him, IS IT HIM.

The lady said she would walk the same time as she had seen him that day, as the man with the dog said he'd be around about that time.

She would take a photo and text it to us from her phone.

We Thanked her and agreed we'd wait for that to come.

It would be a long night ahead.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, he didn't turn up at the park that day (Thursday), and as desperate as we were, we had to wait for her to let us know when he did.

She texted us to not worry, and that sometimes he'd go about 3pm, so we waited anxiously all day, but again no show.

I don't know if Tiva our eldest Spin senses all of what's going on here, but yesterday she became very ill, off her food, sick, and very depressed.

Anyone that knows us well, knows that poor Tiva, being the eldest Spin has seen in the last 2 years, 4 of her doggie mates die (3 in 4 months) or (as of now) 1 go off not to come back.

It's taken some calming and reassurance that going into the car or another dog going out of the door, and her being left home, doesn't mean they aren't coming back for good.

She is a sensitive soul is Tiva, a dog in a million just like her litter Brother Ollie our epileptic.

We saw Tiva decline over Thursday and eventually passing lots of blood, so we had to rush her to the vets, who prescribed her as having a high temperature of 104, and possibly a gastro bug of sorts.

She was given a huge injection of antibiotics intravenously, pre-biotic paste to bring home and more pill form antibiotics.

We decided (against better judgement possibly!) she would stay in our bedroom so we could keep an eye on her, but my goodness, it was like sharing a bed with a kicking hippo !

On the bed, in the bed, out of the bed, and start all over again......awhhhhh

She snored then moaned, and i'd rub her tummy, and then prop myself up on one arm rubbing her tummy over and over as she moaned, me trying not to fall asleep

I woke like i'd done a 10hr flight - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz !

Today we went over to this park ourselves, and had help from 2 lovely friends who live pretty closely. Between us we had a wander round one side and us the other.

We finally came home all of us, after not seeing any dog vaguely familiar after a few hours walking.

I don't think he had been there.

The lady texted us afterwards to say her dog walking friends had seen him much earlier than we had been there, so we'd missed him.

Damn it !

So, again we have to wait for this lady to be able to show us a photo, or ring us with more information having spoken to the man with the dog.

We hope to get over the this place at some point tomorrow, so we can resume the search, we can't rest knowing this dog exists as a possibility as being ours.

We need this nightmare to be over, and over soon.

It's taking it's toll on us, especially after this week, it's been absolutely awful to say the least.

The call on Wednesday evening brought us so much hope, hope were scared of wishing into, but we can't help it. We need that optimism to keep us sane.

It's the photo we need really, we dream of it being our boy more than anything we've ever wished for. We feel so close, so very close.

We are not trying to raise our hopes too much, we of course could be heading for an almighty fall, we know that.

One way or another we need to see this dog ourselves and rule it out, or bring home Jacob.

We'll keep you posted as to the findings of course.

Once we know either way, things will become much clearer and obviously slightly less cryptic. We desperately wanted to flyer all the people at the park today, many fisherman probably could hold clues, but we shall wait, but soon we'll put up posters, but we can't do that just yet.

We don't want to scare this man off for fear of what he could do with Jacob if he feels hunted.

I am sure he'll be reasonable, i'm told by the lady who called he's a nice chap, so fingers crossed if it is Jacob that we can work things out easily, he is ours after all.

Fingers/toes and paws all crossed for a photo tomorrow.