A puppy who ran away from home returns with a dog show rosette after winning third place
One English family was devastated when their dog ran away from home only to return the same day bearing a rosette from a dog competition.
Peter and Paula Closier from Bolney, West Sussex, were worried after their five-year-old beagle-cross Bonnie fled the house on July 10.
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The couple and their two daughters notified the local police, veterinarians, and dog warden in a frantic bid to locate her.
As per reports, Paula and her husband were feeding Bonnie and their other dog Cleo when Bonnie disappeared.
“We thought maybe she is not interested in food and did a full search of the house. I could not see her,” 52-year-old Peter shared. “I was walking back to the kitchen when I saw the gate had swung and I thought ‘oh no.'” Before they gave up looking, Paula discovered a Facebook post from John Miller asking the pet owner to get in touch. The couple later found out that Wilmer was on his way to a dog show in Felbridge, Surrey, with his two dogs, when he spotted Bonnie by the roadside.
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Lost dog wins at Felbridge show after escaping Bolney home – BBC News https://t.co/TLOzRO6Uhj
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“She was such a lovely dog, I thought it’d be good to enter her. I was in a bit of a rush to get there when we found Bonnie and put her in the car. I left a message on Facebook before taking her to the show. I was so pleased she did so well,” Wilmer said.
Bonnie was rescued from the streets of Crete four years ago when she was one year old. Her owners have never entered her into any competition, unlike their other dog, Cleo, who has won three rosettes at dog shows for Greek dogs.
“We never pursued dog shows with Bonnie. We should do now,” Peter said. “When she was missing I had five different outcomes in my head, the best being that she came back. This was even better than that, she came back with a rosette.” Meanwhile, a relieved Paula said: “We’re so thrilled she’s safe and well and also a winner. You couldn’t make this stuff up. We were frantic as we live right by a main road. Bonnie used to be a street dog and we were so worried she wouldn’t have known to come back.”
“She’s had such a full life. When John brought her back to us with a rosette we couldn’t believe it. It’s a shame she didn’t come first in the show,” Paula added. The family has since set up an Instagram profile for Bonnie, “the famous doggie, who escaped home for an amazing adventure that ended up with [her] winning a Rosette!!”
