Calm after the storm

When I found this photo to put on the blog this morning it made me smile.
Just because I remember taking it like it was yesterday. Jacob had found a bunch of fake Gerbera's I was throwing away and took great delight at throwing them around the living room floor, catching them and whooping and singing with delight as he paraded round like he'd got a t-bone !
He is so funny sometimes, the silliest things with him turn into huge hilarity for everyone else and he just can't see what the fuss is all about, or why it's oh so funny for us !
He is the clown here, goofy as they come.
Of course it's photo's like these that are constant reminders of what it is that's missing from our home, and what encourages us to carry on to find and bring him back so we can enjoy the same again.

Seeing Jacob's Sister Diva at Crufts also brought home to us how much we missed him.
Diva looks very much like her Brother and seeing her made me crumble.
I was sorry to do that so early on, and more especially as I had promised I would hold it together, but well, Diva just threw me off course !
I was glad to shed a little emotion though, I think it really helped to be able to do that quietly with Cathy and Diva.

As per usual, Crufts went by in a haze of craziness.
The PD's were there in force, handing out flyers, postering them onto walls where we could, hoping they'd remain there for all to see. I was happy to hear that they were still there yesterday on the final day. Thanks to Donna and Jane for adding more flyers to the benches after everyone else had gone home. I think with the audience that Crufts brings - we pretty much covered every angle there that we could possibly cover.
Now comes the hard bit, we have to wait, maybe some time for the penny to drop that someone has seen him, maybe with someone, maybe out in a field, near a road, being walked, maybe they remember something, anything that we can put together and finally find that all important missing piece of this jigsaw.

We were pleased to see more posters on stalls than we expected. Some were quite obscured by their own stand paraphernalia (how dare they lol !) but some most prominently displayed, and some even pride of place. Thanks to Dog Theft Action especially, and John Paul Pet stall holders who even had his poster in a crystal frame right next to their till. It's because of people like them who helped that we might find some information comes our way.
As for us PD's, if there was a blank wall, we postered it ! Some were swiftly removed by staff, whilst others in differing halls were kindly left.
I guess we just have to remember, not all staff there are dog lovers just because it's a dog show, and of course there are some who are just 'job's worths ! Shame on them !
Most people were willing to help, and most people we gave flyers to took them and walked away reading them.
It was lovely to manage to meet up with the ever helpful Geraldine (Cove-Print), who we had our beautiful Rosie from some 10 years ago now. To see 'Geezer' strutting his stuff still was a lovely moment, what a handsome boy he is, and very much had the 'kind' look about him that made us love his Sister so.

It's now a wait and see game again, time to allow people to read the flyers they probably chucked into pockets or bags at the show -
I know I haven't had time to read anything I brought back yet.....
So, we just have to remain patient, but pro-active.

Good to read Tim and Ffion managed to make it to Tokyo, and now onto NZ without too many airport staff casualties resulting in the fight for Ffion to be dragged onto the flight ! ;-)
Enjoy your break you two, I am sure you need it, and it'll do you the world of good.
The Sky PD's (pet detectives!) will continue their hard work in your absence I am sure of that.

Us, well we'll carry on too, one day at a time and armed with enough ideas and stamina, we will all now be thinking of what to do next, what action plan we can take to keep the Jacob home campaign fires firmly alight.