KATIE'S BLOG: Big girls don't cry... well maybe just a tad!

My beloved @bobbiethecavachontaylor (yes she does have her own instagram account, what’s wrong with that? – sorry for snapping, I’m not currently of stable mind) had made a run for it in the cover of darkness, whilst we were all working at home and had some how managed to burrow her way out of our garden in search of some pub grub.

I only noticed she was missing when I enquired fairly loudly (ok I screamed down the stairs, as not one of my 4 children or husband seem to listen when I speak at a normal pitch these days) why the house felt like the North Pole?

As usual there was no reply, so I went downstairs to find the garden door wide open – they had at least heard her barking to go out, but didn’t bother to close the door an hour later or check if she’d actually come back in.

And so the search party ensued.

Now let me tell you there is NOTHING. I repeat NOTHING that will get my teens jumping to their feet immediately unless I scream one of 3 things: “SUPPERS READY, FREE MONEY or THE DOGS MISSING”.

“DOGS MISSING” was the catalyst that got them to their feet this time and within 0.001 seconds, 2 had run out into the garden to check every corner front and back, 1 immediately jumped into her car taking a right turn around the neighbourhood, whilst the other ran straight out the house, taking a left turn to search the other half of the neighbourhood.

My husband and I meanwhile screeched out the driveway like Starsky and Hutch (am i showing my age?)  in our cars driving around in a figure of 8, randomly checking every last inch, that the kids had probably already covered themselves, with our windows rolled down, screaming  “Treat, Chicken, Sausage, Booboos (that’s her nick name) where are you?” at the top of our lungs.

We checked in with each other via our walkie talkies (mobile phones) every few minutes “have you found her? No, you? No of course not, otherwise I wouldn’t be phoning you to ask if you had found her stupid!”.

I began to fear the worst, after the year we’ve all had, I just decided it was yet more crap news we were going to have to deal with.

Then just as we were starting to give up hope my neighbour called me saying he thought she was in the pub garden, which their garden backs onto, as he could hear some faint barking.  And sure enough he was right!

We encouraged her towards us with some dodgy looking left over chicken i'd managed to grab from the back of the fridge - if running around dodging traffic wasn't going to kill her, that chicken sure stood a fair chance!.  Thankfully she's not developed a taste for haute cuisine and ran over to me immediately staring up at us looking all innocent with those ridiculously large doggy eyes - no clue as to what she had just put us through.

As I held her tightly to my chest, all the pent up emotions from 10 months of lockdown, trying to be the positive one for 5 other human beings, whilst also reassuring them and my mum that all would be ok last week when my dad decided it would be perfect timing to have a heart attack in the middle of a pandemic, came pouring out.

My family stood and stared at the lunatic they saw before them with their mouths wide open, totally taken aback at what they felt was a slightly disproportionate response to finding a beloved lost dog.

After we all returned home, and i had thoroughly defrosted in a hot bath, I’m not going to lie, I realised that I REALLY REALLY needed that release of emotion. I actually felt so much better, although pretty drained and slightly embarrassed at my emotional outburst!.

But if I was feeling that way after losing a dog, I cannot begin to imagine how those living in far worse circumstances than me, or those that have actually lost a beloved pet or even worse a beloved family member, must be feeling during this horrible time we are all living currently through.

So on that note, I just want to say, hold on tight to your loved ones, if you are lucky enough to be living with them and keep the furry ones firmly in sight.

Right this lunatic is not off to the asylum quite yet, but she's certainly going for an early nite!