Never give up searching for your lost dog: Missing pup survived 7 years in wild

Since 2017, Rose had been missing from her home; that is until the volunteer nonprofit, Lost Dog Recovery UK South had recently been notified about a little black dog running in the road near Crawley Down in West Sussex in the United Kingdom. The Good Samaritan stopped traffic to make sure the dog wouldn’t be hit by a vehicle and waited for the dog to cross the road and disappear into the forest. He knew not to follow the dog, but did return the next day to leave some food.

The dog was well-known by residents in the area, and had often been seen her on the roadway where she was believed to have been a stray. For years, people had been feeding her, but the curiosity about the dog conjured up some scrutiny and a desire to find out where she had come from and where she had been.

And that’s when someone contacted Lost Dog Recovery UK South wanting to find out if the dog had an owner at one time or if she was allowed to roam around or whether she had just been an unwanted stray for years.

The little dog was on camera at 11pm and 3am that first night, 3 times the next night, and by the third day already appeared to be “waiting” for dinnertime, watching us park and walk up to the camera site.

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Area residents acknowledged knowing the dog, but told the organization the pup had been a stray and to leave her alone because she was in good condition; neighbors fed and cared for her, and that she had been in the area for about 10 years.

When it was agreed the stray dog was getting up there in years, plans to capture her safely had been formulated. A routine was established to feed her, and on occasion she would make daytime visits where it was confirmed she was indeed a senior.

On December 9, a feast of a warm roasted chicken in a humane cage proved to be irresistible, and after an investigation and cautious nibbling from the corners, back and forth consideration, she finally decided to go for the tasty dinner – yep! She was finally trapped and rescued. Of course, she was shocked and scared, but volunteers immediately took her to the warmth and safety of the kennels

And then came this stray pup’s identity:

What we absolutely didn’t expect was to discover that she was a long term lost dog called ROSE… a now 12 year old Patterdale Terrier who went missing just 6 miles away from Ashurst Wood, within 24hours of being adopted, back in MARCH 2017 .

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It seems when Rose first went missing in July 2017, she had been spotted loose in the area, but then her trail went cold, and for years she fended for herself in the cold and the wet.

Unfortunately, there has been no “happy reunion” because in the seven years Rose has been missing, her family’s circumstances have changed, and they are not in any position to take her back.

Rose will be going to a rescue organization where she will receive the care and love during her senior years she needs and deserves.

Nevertheless, another precious life saved by so many people who care. Thank you to everyone involved in this miracle.

PLEASE don’t leave a dog straying for any longer than they have to be… not only for them and their wellbeing but also for the sake of any humans who love them. Maybe they were discarded and their humans let them down (and we do know this happens too often) but maybe they were stolen & dumped or maybe they were lost & searched for but never found….. maybe there is family out there who goes to sleep every single night wondering what has happened to them..

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All photos via Facebook’s page for Lost Dog Recovery UK South.

Donations appreciated:

PayPal – https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/LostDogRecoveryUKS?

or search for us @lostdogrecoveryuks

(please change setting to use ‘friends and family’ and double check before hitting submit as Paypal likes to default it back to ‘goods and services’ which means a fee is deducted)

Bank Transfer –

Lloyds bank account: Lost Dog Recovery UK South CIC

sort code: 30 90 90 – A/c: 36799668

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