After a traumatic three weeks, a five-year-old terrier cross called Ozzie has finally been reunited with his owner after he went missing for 20 days.
Ozzie went missing shortly after Ingrid Cooke arrived at Lizard Holiday Park near Mullion from Leicestershire, sparking a community search effort that involved dedicated volunteers and the expertise of DogsLost Cornwall.
Volunteers also set up a Facebook page to share sightings of the terrier to share sightings and coordinate efforts. Despite numerous leads and sightings around the Lizard area, finding Ozzie proved difficult.
After eight days of searching, DogsLost Cornwall, an organisation specialising in reuniting lost dogs with their owners. The organisation's involvement in searching for Ozzie proved a success as he was eventually found on Thursday at Ruan Minor.
Ingrid, Maxine and Trudy with Ozzie after the reunion. (Image: Trudy Swann | Find Ozzie Facebook page)
Ozzie was taken to Rosemullion Vets to be checked over before he was finally reunited with his owner Ingrid Cooke on Saturday.
Ingrid said she is “over the moon” to have Ozzie home and back in “familiar territory”.
She said: “We’re over the moon here, he hasn’t left my side since we got home to Leicestershire on Saturday.
“Ozzie is slightly subdued, and he’s lost a bit of weight, but I think he is really glad to be back on familiar territory. He is eating and drinking well and sleeping a lot. I think he’s just getting over his ordeal.”
Ingrid described the moment Ozzie recognised her upon arriving at the vet's practice in Falmouth. She said: “At first, he didn’t recognise me. He walked into the room with his ears and tail down.
“But as soon as he picked up my scent, he was overjoyed. His tails and ears went up, and he was jumping up at me so much I thought he was going to fall over.”
Ingrid and Ozzie are now safely back home in Leicestershire (Image: Find Ozzie Facebook page)
Now they are both safely back home, Ingrid told the Packet how the search effort helped bring Ozzie back home. She said: “I just can't express in words how much the help and support I have been given from everyone.
"I wouldn’t have got Ozzie back without it.
“I also want to thank my poor friend who came to Cornwall with me. She doesn’t get about too well, so she stayed in the car each day so I could go and look for Ozzie."
A day before Ozzie was found, a GoFundMe page was launched to support the search efforts and provide essential equipment for DogsLost Cornwall.
The page was set up by Nikki Lightly who explained the reason as to why they wanted to raise funds.
At the time Nikki said: "During Ozzie's journey, we realized how crucial cameras and high-quality traps are in securing a missing dog.
"We also saw how much travel DogsLost's coordinator needed to do to cover ground day after day when there were sightings."
The GoFundMe page has now raised £1,450, which will be used to purchase equipment for DogsLost Cornwall. Nikki said the page will remain open for anyone who wishes to contribute.
You can see the GoFundMe page here: www.gofundme.com/f/help-doglost-in-the-search-for-ozzie.
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