Mistaken Identity 3

Stop Press ! -

I should have said in my blog last night that the Beagle was actualy owned by a nearby house, and was not in need of us rescuing it !
Just for those that asked lol !
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It's been a frustrating weekend here in Essex.


Yesterday (Saturday) we had a call whilst we were out towards Newmarket postering, a man had left a message on Jon's mobile stating he was certain he had seen Jacob whilst he was out running near Farnham, Bishops Stortford way.


Unfortunately due to the rubbish signal, Jon's mobile went straight to voicemail, so we only knew about the call, some 5 minutes after it was received. DAMN !


Tried to call this chappy back, but to no avail.


Sensibly he had left us exacting instructions as to where he was when he had seen the dog in question, so we downed our staple gun, and hot footed it to Bishops Stortford, trying more times than was acceptable to get this guy on his mobile to confirm what he saw, and to start the usual interrogation of height, colour, ear length, and tail etc etc ........





It took us some 30 minutes to get to Bishops Stortford and by this time we'd rallied a few friends on 'standby', just in case they were needed.
Finally, and hour after the initial call the man called back. Phew !


Jon's interrogation was in force, no the dog was most definitely not a greyhound (wow!) he had long floppy ears (double wow!), and was very much orange and white, certainly not brindle (heart palpitations!)


So....armed with what seemed to be the best description ever, and the man having only been some 20 yards away from the dog in question, we set out, armed with the info and determined that this would be 'J' day, and and end to this ongoing nightmare.


Off on foot, we all search through one side of the area, split up and for an hour wandered around, calling his name and whistling. Nothing.


We re-grouped, and then some of us set over the road and around a small wooded area, where Jon went on ahead at speed like a man possessed, only to have an intense 'feeling' that there had been, or was dog in the area.


He went on in front of us all, and around the dip in the woods, almost like a huge den, he saw a head.....orange and white, floppy ears, and then it went back out of view. OMG !
His heart racing, he stood, quietly, still, careful not to scare whoever it was.


A few minutes later, the dog re-appeared, this time in full, a Beagle came wandering out, oblivious, wagging it's tail happy to see him, as if to say "nice to meet you, but what's the welcome party for ?"


DEEP SIGH......It wasn't Jacob :-(



Mobiles at the ready we called everyone, and so we all made our way back to the cars, down and disheartened. Damn it !


Still, at least we managed to rule that out rather quickly.
If we hadn't have just stumbled across the dog then, we'd most probably have been out all night and today, as the description was too good to overlook.


He did have it pretty much right though. The dog was orange and white (and brown) floppy ears, and I guess to the untrained eye could be mistaken for our boy.
What a kind man he was to have run home, then get in his car and drive to a poster for the number to call us.
If there were hundreds out there like him, things may well be different right now.
Thanks Chris.



Poor Jon, his heart must have been beating SO fast having sighted that Beagle.


His words to me in the car as we quietly drive home, heads low, was how he just wanted to turn that Beagle into Jacob, it was not fair it wasn't him. He felt nothing short of being mentally mugged. I think i'll always remember us driving home, holding hands across the handbrake, me desperately trying not to cry every time he tightened his hold as if to silently say "don't worry, we'll get him" without actually saying one single word.....

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Sunday, well today we've been following some information given to us from Grace and her Mum, two lovely, caring and very giving people who are trying to locate Jacob for us.
They have given so much to the search, just as Joanne has, and between them all they continue to offer us hope, strength and support just when we are at our lowest ebb.
We can't Thank them enough.


Right now having been over towards Haverhill, and Steeple Bumpstead postering, we hope that if he is out towards that way, he can be spotted now, and those spotting him can know he is missing. Farmers are out ploughing, kids are out playing football with Dad's, Mum's driving to Sainsbury's....people are out and about -
Seems as much as we concern ourselves about people not knowing about Jacob's missing status, for the most part, each person we've handed flyers to or stopped on their walks already know.


I think if someone saw him, hopefully we'll eventually get to know.
It may be a week, or maybe even three weeks later, but hopefully we'll get to know.
We just need that ONE fresh sighting, or call to say someone knows where he's at.


We live in hope that the posters, and publicity will bring our gorgeous boy home.


It just HAS to.