Little, nervous, Lilac
Although it had an ongoing bittersweet interlude my charge on Monday the 4th of April 2011 was a little Spaniel cross from Perigueux to St. Guen in Brittany.
She was a very nervous little dog, but totally sweet and, when familiar and trusting, very affectionate. I picked her up at 7.30 from a fellow fosterer and by 8.20 we were on our way.
She was a very nervous little dog, but totally sweet and, when familiar and trusting, very affectionate. I picked her up at 7.30 from a fellow fosterer and by 8.20 we were on our way.
She slept very little, always alert to what was going on. When we stopped, she came out of the car readily enough but was much more keen to get back in to the security of the cage. All sorts of things spooked her, people, cars, machines.
Nevertheless we completed the long journey in fine time and pulled up at her new home at 4.30pm. It took some time to persuade her out of the cage perhaps because of the large Lurcher waiting to make her acquaintance, but after a while she did and found him to be very friendly.
A renowned escaper she was kept firmly on the lead as she made friends and grew in confidence with her new owner, lolling in the warm sunshine on the grass. She wasn't so keen on the little Terrier with a slightly jealous streak but always found solace on Paul's lap or mine.
Nevertheless we completed the long journey in fine time and pulled up at her new home at 4.30pm. It took some time to persuade her out of the cage perhaps because of the large Lurcher waiting to make her acquaintance, but after a while she did and found him to be very friendly.
A renowned escaper she was kept firmly on the lead as she made friends and grew in confidence with her new owner, lolling in the warm sunshine on the grass. She wasn't so keen on the little Terrier with a slightly jealous streak but always found solace on Paul's lap or mine.
I passed a very comfortable night in one of their gites and packed my things in the morning and walked into the kitchen for some breakfast before the long road back. Disaster. Lottie had jumped and depressed the handle on the front door and was gone. I didn't see Paul again before I had to leave, distraught, he was out combing the fields.
My journey home was less eventfull. A brief stop at le Relax on the old N 137 south of Nantes for an orange juice and email check on their free wifi, another for fuel at Sauze Vaussais, one of the cheapest I have always found anywhere, and then a beeline to the hospital in Perigueux where my wife Fran was recovering from a bad fall.
Home at 8.30pm to a very big welcome from my late and lovely Beauceronne, Ramona and current foster, Bosco.
Since then, no recovery yet of Lottie, but definite sightings of her tracings nearby. True to form she hasn't gone far and I'm sure will soon be home. How wrong I was!
Total distance 1,105 kms.
My journey home was less eventfull. A brief stop at le Relax on the old N 137 south of Nantes for an orange juice and email check on their free wifi, another for fuel at Sauze Vaussais, one of the cheapest I have always found anywhere, and then a beeline to the hospital in Perigueux where my wife Fran was recovering from a bad fall.
Home at 8.30pm to a very big welcome from my late and lovely Beauceronne, Ramona and current foster, Bosco.
Since then, no recovery yet of Lottie, but definite sightings of her tracings nearby. True to form she hasn't gone far and I'm sure will soon be home. How wrong I was!
Total distance 1,105 kms.
Updates.
10 months after Lottie disappeared she was discovered 50 kms away to the north at St. Brieuc. She had been found raiding their bin by an elderly French couple who, unable to look after her themselves, had handed her over to a local refuge. There, her Phoenix ID tag was discovered and a phone call was put through to Sheelagh and Rik. At first the owners, who had replaced her after giving up hope, decided that she should be returned to Phoenix and I was detailed to travel westwards from Calais where I was delivering another dog. However, before I started my diversion, they had a change of heart and decided to go and collect Lottie themselves and take her home.
On Friday the 29th of August 2014, while out walking with her family, Lottie, now called Alice, collapsed and died of heart failure. The message the family sent back to Phoenix was of great sorrow but gratitude for 2 and a half years of loving pleasure with their little darling:
“She developed cardiac failure and collapsed on a walk on Friday. It was quick and lovely for her, but we can't stop crying about her, we miss her so much. She developed into the most wonderful companion - she gained confidence, stopped being nervous, integrated well with the others, shrieked with pleasure going for a walk, greeted us ecstatically and she was so loving. She was completely sweet tempered and easy going - we wish we could have had her for longer. It has been a bad year in general for us and we also lost our wonderful Lurcher, Pedro, in February, again with a cardiac problem. Alice loved him and when he died, she searched for him everyday for weeks - he showed her that life was fun and she always related well to him. Even with 3 dogs left, the house seems empty without Alice, she was quite a pivotal personality. My husband misses the cuddles on the sofa with her - she always lay next to him with her paw waving in the air !
When we feel stronger, we'll probably think about another. I just wanted you to know how much we cared for Alice and how happy she has been... “
10 months after Lottie disappeared she was discovered 50 kms away to the north at St. Brieuc. She had been found raiding their bin by an elderly French couple who, unable to look after her themselves, had handed her over to a local refuge. There, her Phoenix ID tag was discovered and a phone call was put through to Sheelagh and Rik. At first the owners, who had replaced her after giving up hope, decided that she should be returned to Phoenix and I was detailed to travel westwards from Calais where I was delivering another dog. However, before I started my diversion, they had a change of heart and decided to go and collect Lottie themselves and take her home.
On Friday the 29th of August 2014, while out walking with her family, Lottie, now called Alice, collapsed and died of heart failure. The message the family sent back to Phoenix was of great sorrow but gratitude for 2 and a half years of loving pleasure with their little darling:
“She developed cardiac failure and collapsed on a walk on Friday. It was quick and lovely for her, but we can't stop crying about her, we miss her so much. She developed into the most wonderful companion - she gained confidence, stopped being nervous, integrated well with the others, shrieked with pleasure going for a walk, greeted us ecstatically and she was so loving. She was completely sweet tempered and easy going - we wish we could have had her for longer. It has been a bad year in general for us and we also lost our wonderful Lurcher, Pedro, in February, again with a cardiac problem. Alice loved him and when he died, she searched for him everyday for weeks - he showed her that life was fun and she always related well to him. Even with 3 dogs left, the house seems empty without Alice, she was quite a pivotal personality. My husband misses the cuddles on the sofa with her - she always lay next to him with her paw waving in the air !
When we feel stronger, we'll probably think about another. I just wanted you to know how much we cared for Alice and how happy she has been... “