The majority of us know what it feels like to lose a beloved pet. It's a heartbreaking, overwhelmingly sad experience after sharing years of our life with a furry friend - regardless under which circumstances the loss occurs. This is how Lucy Howard and her young family in Middle Tarwin, Victoria, Australia felt not long ago.
"Fancy" their much loved Kelpie had graced the lives of Lucy and her extended family for fourteen long years and was a valued and adored family member. Approximately eight years ago, Fancy came to live with Lucy and her husband and has since grown with the family and bonded with their first child. Living on a farm, she was in dog heaven and eagerly assisted the couple with cattle work amidst enjoying her freedom on the adventurous land.
On the first weekend in March, Fancy went exploring as she often did, but failed to return home. Lucy began to worry and together with her husband, searched the areas she often frequented while loudly calling her name - sadly to no avail. Lucy immediately jumped onto social media to post the alarm on local sites, hoping someone had come across Fancy or at the very least, for readers to keep an eye out for her.
People spasmodically responded to the posts over the next week or so stating a lonely, hungry looking dog had wandered their way. Lucy's anxious heart would skip a beat, but learning more information of the strays, disappointingly, they were never her Fancy.
Lucy continued to post regularly, desperately attempting to find her companion, however the response was disheartening. She realised farm life can be dangerous, especially in the warmer seasons when snakes are active and quick-moving. Maybe Fancy had succumbed to a lethal snake bite. She was no spring chicken and quite deaf. Any kind of danger could have befallen her.
Each long day passed with no sign of Fancy. Lucy and her family were heartbroken and felt the time had come to accept she was never coming home. Reluctantly they began the process of mourning her and her unconditional love. It hurt - deeply.
However, on Monday morning March 21st, two weeks after Fancy had been missing, locals Kelly Van Den Berg and Lillian Duthie, were driving around the back of Middle Tarwin. It was a beautiful day and they were looking for access points to launch their kayaks into the Tarwin River. Stopping at various tucked away bridges to assess the embankments, none seemed appropriate in light of the steepness and vegetation overgrowth. Determined, they continued their search.
The women came across another remote bridge and stepped onto it in the hope of discovering the perfect kayak entry point, but again, it didn't look promising as the ridge was much too steep. Lillian walked the bridge to view the other side when a vision caught her by surprise.
"There's a dog!" she shrieked. "Oh, it's dead. The poor dog."
"Hang on a minute, it just moved," Kelly voiced, as she neared Lillian.
With that, both woman began calling out to the canine, but there was no reaction. The girls continued to create noise until suddenly, thankfully the dog jumped to its feet looking around to see where the commotion was coming from.
Kelly shared, "The aged dog seemed disorientated and probably deaf. It was on a tiny, little patch of mud on a near vertical bank. It had obviously been there a long time, as it had really dug itself a hole. What now, we thought!"
A farmhouse not too far in the distance seemed the obvious first contact point. Kelly and Lillian immediately went to find the occupant who could possibly shed some light on where this dog belonged. Unfortunately, no one answered the door. The girls wandered around thinking the farmer may be working in the vicinity, but disappointingly again, there was no one in sight.
Kelly said, "We returned to the house to knock on the door one more time and that's when a young lady appeared. We asked her if she was missing a dog. Lucy immediately broke down in disbelief. She was an emotional wreck and we knew then we had found the dog's owner."
The three of them raced back to Fancy. Kelly and Lillian, being experienced and prepared kayakers, carried their safety gear with them. In the past they had successfully completed various courses, including white water rescue. They knew exactly what to do.
Ropes were hooked up and Lillian strategically lowered Kelly approximately twenty metres down the steep, dense, muddy riverbank. Once she reached Fancy, she created and fitted her with a harness after which Fancy was safely pulled up and received by Lillian, then Lucy's overjoyed, loving arms. Lillian then proceeded to carefully pull Kelly back up the bank.
Kelly explained, "Fancy possibly fell down there and got stuck. The river was wide and deep, so it was a good decision of hers to stay put. The water was fast-flowing and she could have been washed away had she jumped into the river. Fancy may have attempted to climb up the embankment, but it was rugged and slippery from the mud. She seemed too old and frail. She was well and truly stuck, the poor thing."
Lucy was beside herself and so thankful to the kind, competent women.
She said, "I'd been looking for Fancy for two weeks! I was in complete shock when Kelly and Lillian turned up. My heart dropped when they mentioned a red collar on a dog they had discovered. I didn't think Fancy would return. I was already mourning her. She may have been down there the whole time, as she has a habit of burying her bones down by the river."
Lucy promptly took Fancy to the vet. Besides fatigued, starving and had lost weight, she was ok. After Fancy initially ate everything in sight, she is now back to a picture of health and once more, carries her normal weight.
"She's fine and back in the cattle yards with us where she loves to be," Lucy happily assured. "I'm so extremely grateful to Kelly and Lillian. They are lifesavers!"
Kelly remarked, "This was a wonderful serendipity. To think Lillian and I were in the right place at the right time, surely we were meant to find Fancy and return her home."
Does Fancy continue to burry her bones down by the river?
"No, she hasn't gone near the river since she was rescued," Lucy answered.
Smart move, Fancy!
Fancy stuck on a patch on the banks of the Tarwin River.
Fancy's lifesavers, Kelly Van Den Berg and Lillian Duthie.
The strategic rescue.
Adored Fancy back to a picture of health.
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