A very lucky dog has been found alive nearly a week after being washed away by a river.
Simon Kitchen had all but given up hope of seeing Bobby again after tragedy struck on a walk in Cumbria. The ex-soldier slipped down a steep hill with his rare breed American Bully, and he bolted away. Beneath him was the fast-flowing River Rawthey that had been swelled by torrential rain. ‘I thought he was playing until he disappeared down that hill,’ Simon said.‘I saw the river and I thought the worst as I saw the rocks below.’
He reported Bobby missing and spent the next six days looking for him. Then, on his 51st birthday, Simon got a call from Farmgate Veterinary Surgery to say Bobby had been found.Eagle-eyed farmer Nick Fecitt had spotted Bobby a mile and a half downstream sitting on a rock in the river, and waded in to get him.The cheese will melt just enough to stick to the inside of the Kong.
Simon said: ‘When I got the call from the vet I was over the moon.
‘I would love to come and see Nick to thank him. I thought it was going to be the worst birthday ever.No, it’s not just to make themselves look adorable. Dogs curl up in a ball when they sleep due to an age-old instinct to keep themselves warm and protect their abdomen and vital organs from predators.
‘But it was the best one ever.’
A spokesperson for the vets said: ‘So happy to say that Bobby and his owner, Simon have finally been reunited.
‘It’s Simon’s birthday today and I don’t think he could’ve had a better present.
‘Simon couldn’t speak, he was so choked up. He was convinced that the dog was dead.’
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