Tuppy seems to have more anxious moments these days, not always for any apparent reason. She’s not bothered by fireworks, but hates house alarms, car alarms and other high-pitched noises, as well as anything she thinks isn’t ‘normal’. She reacts by trying to hide and can’t be persuaded to move.
Yesterday when some of my family were here she went missing for over three hours. She had been in the garden when my two little grandsons had been playing with their mother and uncle while my youngest son and I cleared out a sideboard that needs to be disposed of, but they came in when heavy rain started. At about 3.45 a car alarm went off, so I warned everyone to keep an eye on Tuppy in case she was frightened… but she wasn’t in the house. We checked the garden thoroughly: no sign of her. I put a message on our road WhatsApp, but no sightings. Neither of the adjoining neighbours were home, but we were eventually able to search both gardens. We kept searching my garden, the local roads and park, all in the dark by now, but no sign of her at all. From time to time I rattled the big metal bin where her food is kept, still no response.
By about 7.15 my eldest son and DiL needed to drive back to Oxfordshire, but I asked my son to go down the garden just once more to check the old pony shelter in case she had managed to find a way in. As he walked down to check she appeared from the other side of the garden, so he scooped her up and brought her in - huge relief all round! Tuppy wagged her tail, ate her supper and behaved as normal!
It was a horrible felling not knowing where she was - we couldn’t do anything but keep searching, yet I didn’t think she would have run off anywhere. We all searched the garden really thoroughly over and over again, but somehow she must have found a hiding place.
I think she will have to wear her collar all the time, rather than only when I take her out. I’ve now got an AirTag to attach to it, hoping that at least that will help me find her if she manages to hide again. We don’t know what upset her or where she hid… if only she could talk.
Yesterday when some of my family were here she went missing for over three hours. She had been in the garden when my two little grandsons had been playing with their mother and uncle while my youngest son and I cleared out a sideboard that needs to be disposed of, but they came in when heavy rain started. At about 3.45 a car alarm went off, so I warned everyone to keep an eye on Tuppy in case she was frightened… but she wasn’t in the house. We checked the garden thoroughly: no sign of her. I put a message on our road WhatsApp, but no sightings. Neither of the adjoining neighbours were home, but we were eventually able to search both gardens. We kept searching my garden, the local roads and park, all in the dark by now, but no sign of her at all. From time to time I rattled the big metal bin where her food is kept, still no response.
By about 7.15 my eldest son and DiL needed to drive back to Oxfordshire, but I asked my son to go down the garden just once more to check the old pony shelter in case she had managed to find a way in. As he walked down to check she appeared from the other side of the garden, so he scooped her up and brought her in - huge relief all round! Tuppy wagged her tail, ate her supper and behaved as normal!
It was a horrible felling not knowing where she was - we couldn’t do anything but keep searching, yet I didn’t think she would have run off anywhere. We all searched the garden really thoroughly over and over again, but somehow she must have found a hiding place.
I think she will have to wear her collar all the time, rather than only when I take her out. I’ve now got an AirTag to attach to it, hoping that at least that will help me find her if she manages to hide again. We don’t know what upset her or where she hid… if only she could talk.
three hours must have been hell.