Readers love a shaggy dog tale – especially when it has a purrfect happy ending
Almost any pet owner I know has a story about the lengths they have gone to make life better for their furry friend, writes Chris Stevenson. So my interest was piqued by two stories this week
When animals are in the news, we always receive a smattering of emails extolling the virtues of pet ownership – the benefits of which will be in little doubt for many.
Almost any pet owner I know has a story about the lengths they have gone to make life better for their cat/dog/parrot etc. So my interest was piqued by two stories along those lines this week. The first was about a shih tzu called Teddy, who apparently hopped onto a bus in Sturry, near Canterbury. Teddy was eventually reunited with his owner, Christine Ricketts, after the driver of the bus realised that the “playful” dog was not with any of the passengers – and contact information was found on Teddy’s name tag.
Thanking the bus company’s staff, Ricketts said that it was brilliant to have Teddy back after he escaped when her garden gate blew open. “It’s just devastating when they go missing,” she told KentOnline. “You panic and you think the worst.” Now there is some distance from the event, however, Ricketts said she finds the thought of her dog waiting at a bus stop “quite funny”.
Meanwhile, a Birmingham couple have been reunited with their cat Big Ginge, who was last seen in 2011 after going missing from the narrowboat of Colin Clayton and Eva Bellamy. Big Ginge was found in Lichfield, having been thought to be a stray and nicknamed Marmalade. He was taken to the vet by members of a local branch of Cats Protection and Big Ginge’s true identity was discovered via his microchip.
Mystery surrounds the movements of the cat, but Clayton told the BBC that the couple “will be keeping him indoors” for now. “Big Ginge has had enough stress in his life and we are confident it will all work out,” he added.
Two stories with feel-good endings that will no doubt spark some new correspondence.
Yours,
Chris Stevenson
Voices editor
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