Hold All Tickets

She was dirty, and even skinnier than normal. More bones than fur.

That lovely white coat was now a shade of brown, and matted. Covered in burrs. Her paws looked like she’d run a marathon. And she couldn’t stop shaking.

But those loving eyes sparkled, and that tongue, still dry and thirsty, had taken up the usual position, hanging from the side of her mouth.

Coco was back.

Ten days after we lost her, our dog had been found.

We took the call late yesterday. The call we’d almost given up on receiving. In the car, again heading to the Gold Coast.

It was the pound. The same girl who showed us so much compassion, when she took our teary story after Boxing Day.

Great news. Someone had reported a small stray dog, wandering the streets of Oxenford. When the catcher brought her in, staff identified Coco from our poster. The microchip confirmed it.

She was found, streets away from where she went missing. But in the same suburb.

It appears our tiny bundle of fun had been wandering those streets all that time. And the adjoining bushland. Ten days, alone.

We’d searched that same area for days. Called her name endlessly. For whatever reason, she couldn’t get back to us.

The pound people were amazed. This plucky pooch, apparently surviving on scraps, fighting off wild beasts, on the adventure of her life. The Bear Grylls of the Papillon breed.

There were happy tears. Then a much-needed bath, and a giant bowl of top-shelf food that was devoured in record time.

We’re house sitting for the mother-in-law this week, so Coco still hasn’t officially made it home. But she doesn’t seem to mind. She’s still lapping up all the cuddles.

We’ll never forget the kind soul who found her. Even though you wish to remain anonymous, rest assured you’ve made a family so very happy.

The Gold Coast City pound and the RSPCA were also wonderful throughout. Such caring, compassionate people.

And to all of you out there in the social media world, who offered so much support and advice, heartfelt thanks. Coco’s plight was shared far and wide. I have no doubt your good vibes helped send her in the right direction.

As I write this, she’s sleeping and shedding hair on the Senior Treasurer’s most expensive lounge. Possibly her first proper snooze in days.

As promised, she’s been given permission to pee on any mat she desires. I’ll even line them up for her. And the crazed barking can’t be too far off. Coco is back where she belongs.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 6th, 2012 at 1:35 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.