A DOG owner believes his beloved English Springer Spaniel is desperately trying to find his way home after he went missing from his garden on last week.
Damian Brant, from Abbots Bromley, thinks Lester may have been stolen but has since escaped and may be trying to find his way back to Abbots Bromley.
There have been sightings of a loose Springer Spaniel matching Lester’s description in Cannock, Hendesford and most recently in Handsacre on Tuesday, which is where Damian and Lester used to live.
Mr Brant said: “It’s quite a coincidence for two springers to be loose at the same time so I’m hoping the sightings are of Lester. The reports suggest that he’s running away when approached so he’s probably had a bad experience with humans since he went missing and is frightened. The best way to approach him is to crouch down and approach sideways very slowly with gentle coaxing with the voice. The hand shouldn’t be raised to pat his head as this can be mistaken by dogs as a threat and he’s likely to run away.”
Four-year-old Lester is male, liver and white, with a distinctive white streak on his forehead, speckled nose and legs, docked tail and pink flecks on his brown snout.
Mr Brant said losing any dog can be traumatic but it is particularly painful since the pair has shared some dramatic life-changing moments.
He said: “We were on a long walk together when a woman jumped into the fast-flowing River Wye. I jumped in and managed to save her. With the help of others I dragged her to the river bank. Waiting on the shore was Lester who had been keeping a careful eye on the situation.”
On another occasion the pair were involved in a potentially fatal car accident when his car skidded and rolled over several times writing the car off completely.
And in October last year Lester was there, in spirit at least, on the most important day of Damian’s life; his wedding day.
“We had some caricatures made for the wedding cake, me, my wife and pride of place in the front and between us, with a big smile, was a caricature of Lester.”
Lester has been micro chipped and is registered on two national lost dog sites. Additionally, Damian and his wife have contacted all local vets, the council and have distributed flyers to raise awareness. He has also used social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
A reward has been offered for the safe return of Lester. Anyone with information is asked to contact Dog Lost on 0844 800 3220.
