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Member Since: 8/2008Last Seen: 2/09/2010

Family leave urine trail to lure lost dog home - city council criticizes method

News Type: Event — Seeded on Thu Jul 9, 2009 9:01 PM EDT
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The Baltesz family, of Clifton, Bristol, lost their 10-year-old pet labrador Simon on the night of 4 July.

When Simon failed to return, the family chose their unorthodox method.
A Bristol City Council spokeswoman said: "We would not consider this to be a good idea from an environmental health point of view."

Louise Baltesz, 43, said the whole family had been "chipping in" to help lay down the scent trail.

She said she was aware of criticism aimed at the family, but they were willing to do anything to get Simon back.

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{"commentId":8129752,"authorDomain":"carloz"}
Carloz

"There are people who are upset about it, but I'm too emotionally drained to think about it," she said. "I'm worried about it - I really am.

[...]

Mrs Baltesz said the idea for the scent trail came from a website which offered a range of advice to owners of missing dogs.

She said: "I do feel mad doing it, but I'm driven to desperate measures.

What we won't do for our pets. I hope Simon returns home.

{"commentId":8129752,"threadId":"623336","contentId":"3012922","authorDomain":"carloz"}
  • 2 votes
Reply#1 - Thu Jul 9, 2009 9:03 PM EDT
{"commentId":8130225,"authorDomain":"wharrison55"}
Bill HarrisonDeleted
{"commentId":8130875,"authorDomain":"redsfan"}
redsfan

Carloz - two years ago I would have thought these people were crazy. I had never owned a dog in my life...but then we got a pug puppy named Samson. Two years later, he's a beloved member of the family and we would be devastated to lose him.

I agree with the city council's position on this...it is not good for public health...but my heart tells me that if Samson was missing...I'd probably be willing to do someting crazy.

{"commentId":8130875,"threadId":"623336","contentId":"3012922","authorDomain":"redsfan"}
  • 2 votes
Reply#3 - Thu Jul 9, 2009 10:20 PM EDT
{"commentId":8134396,"authorDomain":"carloz"}
Carloz

Well, even the owner thinks it's crazy to do, but as a former pet owner I understand wanting to go that far.

{"commentId":8134396,"threadId":"623336","contentId":"3012922","authorDomain":"carloz"}
  • 2 votes
#3.1 - Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:22 AM EDT
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{"commentId":8131219,"authorDomain":"alkimija"}
alkimija

Ten years old? It's possible the dog went off to die.

{"commentId":8131219,"threadId":"623336","contentId":"3012922","authorDomain":"alkimija"}
  • 3 votes
Reply#4 - Thu Jul 9, 2009 10:39 PM EDT
{"commentId":8131537,"authorDomain":"Fulcrum"}
Fulcrum

I adopted a collie when he was ten , had him for 5 more years of his life.

{"commentId":8131537,"threadId":"623336","contentId":"3012922","authorDomain":"Fulcrum"}
  • 2 votes
#4.1 - Thu Jul 9, 2009 10:56 PM EDT
{"commentId":8131685,"authorDomain":"alkimija"}
alkimija

I'm not saying all dogs die at ten. Just that ten is advanced for a dog, and he might have just died instead of going missing. fwiw, I hope they find their dog alive and in good health.

{"commentId":8131685,"threadId":"623336","contentId":"3012922","authorDomain":"alkimija"}
  • 2 votes
#4.2 - Thu Jul 9, 2009 11:06 PM EDT
{"commentId":8131934,"authorDomain":"Fulcrum"}
Fulcrum

Me too, unconditional love is a beautiful thing.

{"commentId":8131934,"threadId":"623336","contentId":"3012922","authorDomain":"Fulcrum"}
  • 2 votes
#4.3 - Thu Jul 9, 2009 11:21 PM EDT
Reply
{"commentId":8138053,"authorDomain":"bigbugy"}
bigbugy

While anyone can appreciate the owners pain at losing a family member it actually serves no purpose to do what they are.

A dog has a very keen sense of smell and would be able to trace it's own steps back home.

My gut feeling is that someone has their dog in their home and the dog has no way of making it back home.

When I was a child we had a collie that ran off while we were at the lake which is twenty five miles from where we lived.We sought this dog JOE for hours before leaving yet two days later JOE was sitting on the front porch of our home when we were leaving for school.

That has to be one of the best moments of my childhood years seeing old JOE sittng there wagging his tail and as happy to see us as we were to see him.

{"commentId":8138053,"threadId":"623336","contentId":"3012922","authorDomain":"bigbugy"}
  • 3 votes
Reply#5 - Fri Jul 10, 2009 11:16 AM EDT
{"commentId":8138372,"authorDomain":"carloz"}
Carloz

I have friends who had the sweetest cocker spaniel in the world for many years. (She died recently.) This dog was always kept in a fenced in yard, when not in the house. About a year after they got her, the dog went missing. Someone would have had to open the gate to let the dog out. They were sick and looked and looked around, put up signs, etc. (No urine samples, though.) About a month later one of them was driving down a street and saw a group of kids playing with the dog! She pulled over, called the dogs name and the dog ran over to her as happy as ever. She asked the kids where the dog was from and one of them replied that her father had given it to her! She did not purse it any further, but happily took the dog home.

{"commentId":8138372,"threadId":"623336","contentId":"3012922","authorDomain":"carloz"}
  • 2 votes
#5.1 - Fri Jul 10, 2009 11:29 AM EDT
{"commentId":8138704,"authorDomain":"bigbugy"}
bigbugy

What an excellant ending to an otherwise sad story.Thanks to you I smiled today.

{"commentId":8138704,"threadId":"623336","contentId":"3012922","authorDomain":"bigbugy"}
  • 3 votes
#5.2 - Fri Jul 10, 2009 11:44 AM EDT
{"commentId":8139737,"authorDomain":"carloz"}
Carloz
Thanks to you I smiled today.

Glad to hear that! Thanks, too, for telling us about JOE.

{"commentId":8139737,"threadId":"623336","contentId":"3012922","authorDomain":"carloz"}
  • 2 votes
#5.3 - Fri Jul 10, 2009 12:33 PM EDT
Reply
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