Chapter 22: Running Out of Ideas

A Film That Hits Too Close to Home

I remember watching a film once, no idea what it is called, but it was about a man that every day he woke up he actually repeated his day, uufff this is so how I was starting to feel.

Following Our Julie’s Instructions

I had dealt with my emails, and I was all set for the day with full instructions from our Julie: “Christine, get out there and check all ditches, keep putting up those posters,” she messaged. The sound of the thunder was so loud, and wow, the rain was fierce. “On it,” I messaged back.

Kerry’s Call and the Psychic Medium

Then Kerry called me, “Mum……… yes.” Last night I went to a Psychic Medium, and for some reason, and this is with me not mentioning a word about you in Spain or George, she said: “Stop worrying about your mum, oh and there is a small black and white dog close.” We were hooked, oh yes, we were hooked, yes I am ashamed to say this, yet we were. No joke, if I could get my hands on her now, I would (Ok, so I had better not write anything). You will later read how I actually paid her (shame on me). You see, obviously, now with Facebook, even though Kerry never mentioned me, all she needed to do was look on Facebook. So, no not shame on me, shame on her.

A Day of Posters and Pouring Rain

Gordon then arrived and picked me up, and we spent the day searching and putting up posters just as our Julie had told me to do.

Day after day in the pouring rain, this is what I did, and now it was Saturday.

A Desperate Facebook Plea

So, no TNT and no pressure, I fed the dogs and then wrote a new Facebook post which included a picture of myself pinning flags into my massive map (talk about cringe, but I knew that I had to do this as this was the only way that I received views on Facebook.

This is the post: “GEORGE NEES HELP!”

All of us with dogs have always said: “IF I EVER LOST MY DOG, I WOULD JUST DIE.” Well it happened to me, I have lost my George and tomorrow it will be 3 complete weeks that no one has seen my George. For 10 years, every day, he has cuddled me tight, every day, we would spend it together, and if I needed to pop out, I would always say, “I will be back in a minute.” George is such a clever boy, and he understands everything that I say. If someone has taken him in, not knowing that he is missing, I know that George will be doing all he can to get away and come home. George needs help; he needs me to make sure that everyone, everyone in Spain knows that we are looking for him. I have made a map, and my next plan is to make sure that every house in the area where he went missing has a picture of my George. I went out today putting up posters for my George as he really needs our help. He is there somewhere. He is waiting to be found. xxx

If you live at a yellow dot or know someone that does, please message me. Or please, if you can help, I have lots of maps.

False Leads and Long Days

So, post complete, I went downstairs and sat with the dogs and decided just to stay home. Ok, so I walked the fields for a couple of hours, yet that was it; then I came home and just cuddled up with my boys.

How I managed to doze off, I don’t know what with my phone bleeping yet I did, and then the siren bellowed. “Hello,” I said. “Hi, you don’t know who I am, but I just felt I needed to call you and check that you are ok;” this was a stranger. This person had totally ruined what could have been a first doze in the daytime on the sofa. When I eventually got off the phone, I just looked at all the dogs and pulled a face, then put the kettle on.

Maybe I did fall asleep as it wasn’t long before it was now 11pm and Our Julie was calling me. “Christine, look at the pictures on your phone now,” she said.

As I went on Messenger to our Julie’s page, I could see so many messages, one being: I am going to be sick as I think it is George to then a message that said: “It’s not mum it’s Kerry LOL.”

Confusion and Gibraltar Rumors

I was so confused, yet after a few moments, I understood Kerry had control of my messenger, and she had been replying to Julie. I was looking at what I thought was George. “Is it George?” typed our Julie. “Could be. It looks just like him; all the markings are the same,” I typed back. “This dog is in Gibraltar,” said Our Julie. “The chip can’t be read until late tomorrow as tomorrow is Sunday,” she explained. “I need to go; I need to check. I can’t wait,” I messaged. “Ok, I will come to yours at 9am, and we will go. We can’t go now as it is a dog and they are closed, no one is there,” typed our Julie.

The Endless Night

I spent all night staring at the pictures, and I won’t put you through what I went through that night, but basically, mostly all I did was stare at the pictures. You might think that it was one of the longest nights of my life, yet before I knew it, our Julie and I were on the way to Gibraltar and then came one of the most awful calls ever: “Sorry, the dog is a girl.” It’s ok, don’t be alarmed as seriously what with George looking like a Mastin, a long-haired Collie oh and not forgetting the sausage dog nothing was a shock to me.

Searching with Our Julie

Then listening to our Julie having a little moment, “For f…. s… did they not think to check whether the dog had a willy or not,” she said with a strong passion. “Right, let’s head to where the photo was taken and start knocking on people’s doors,” she said. So, off we went, in the rain. As we pulled up, I received a message from a Stranger; it said: “Hi, I am out searching for George. Are you out searching today?” Immediately, I sent my location and the word “Yes.” Within 5 minutes, she appeared with her dog. A pretty lady, very tall and kind of Marilyn Monroe looking. I was so grateful to her, and she said because our Julie and I were searching here that she would go to the other side of the road and start looking there.

Every Lead, Every Disappointment

Next, our Julie and I began looking in all the ditches and basically combing the area and then a young couple approached us on their bikes. I was now so use to stopping anyone that came within 10 meters of me by shouting or waving my arms in the air like a lunatic.

Thankfully they came straight to us and looked at the posters that we had. “Oh yes, we saw your dog, we were out on our bikes, and we saw him,” said the girl.

Our Julie began talking to the boy while I chatted to the girl. We then thanked them both, and they continued on their way. “That’s promising,” said our Julie. “Don’t see how as they just saw him right near to where the lady took the photo,” I said. “What?” said our Julie. “No, they saw George on the Alhaurín el Grande road, running, actually running in the road, and cars were stopping, yet he ran off,” she said. Julie then went on to say how George was walking on a road, yet previously I had explained how everything scares George, people, a pushbike, practically anything apart from tracks and nature. So, I then went on to say: “So why did the girlfriend not mention this?” Then I said: “Oh my god, everyone is giving us a different story; everyone is crazy.” I held it together as I was with our Julie, yet I was starting to wobble just a tiny bit.

Another False Alarm

Next, we saw a very dashing man on a horse coming towards us, our Julie stopped him, and they were babbling on in Spanish. “Oh yes, the missing dog, I have his cage,” said the rather dashing man. “Could we come and get it please?” asked our Julie. “Yes,” he said, so we followed him. He is the neighbour of the lady that took the photo. As we got to his house, he was greeted by his wife, children and 3 little dogs, one of which was a tiny white Chihuahua. He explained how he had taken the cage in one evening as a neighbour had complained about it being there. We took the cage and thanked him.

Exhaustion and Strange Encounters

Next, we started to drive towards Villa Franco and to give out and put up as many posters as possible. I knew that Our Julie must be so tired, and watching her with her little hood up running in the rain made me feel so unworthy that how is this beautiful amazing strong lady giving up her day off to help me. She was like a total machine, never giving up and the encouragement that she gave me, well there are no words because she was so caring yet so direct, it was kind of odd, yet it so worked.

As our day ended, we did actually laugh, yes laugh out loud; it was a moment that you had to be there and a moment that could never repeat itself. We were driving along a track, not a house in sight and then there it was, the strangest house I have ever seen, we actually stopped the car, we turned and looked at each other and basically cracked up, I said: “It’s your turn,” (to post a leaflet in the letterbox). It was so funny watching Our Julie running in the rain to post a leaflet in the strangest spookiest house ever to be seen. It seriously was a house that is only seen in a horror film or maybe a cartoon, just picture a scary house, and that is what we actually encountered.

The Photo That Looked Like George

So, I was now home, and I was so tired, yet I knew my dogs needed time with me, so I sat with them and made my 19th Facebook post on my mobile: “Late last night, I was sent a picture of a lost dog that was 103km away, from where my George went missing. It looked so similar to my George that I spent the whole night looking at the photo. I felt so guilty that I couldn’t say if it was my George or not. One second, I was sure it was my George, and I could feel my heart beating faster, then the next minute, I just didn’t know.”

A Long Night Waiting

It was such a long night, waiting for the morning to find out more information. I have never drunk so many cups of tea or had my mind race so much in all my life.

30 minutes into my journey to go and see this little dog, I received a message to say it’s not George as it’s a little girl. I just went completely numb.

One Last Heartbreaking Lead

I still have hope, so please keep sharing, please keep looking, as my George is out there somewhere just waiting to be found, and with all your kind help of spreading awareness of my missing George, it gives me the strength to carry on searching.

Post written, dogs all fed, and I knew I needed a hot bath, yet instead, I poured myself a glass of wine and just did my normal, staring into oblivion, a bottle of wine drank, and my phone started ringing this was now around 10pm. “Your dog is near the Fahala area,” she said, all in the fastest Spanish ever. “Thank you,” I said. I then dialed Claudia, “quick, can you pick me up, like right now as I have had a bottle of wine, some woman just called she has seen George in the Fahala area. “Where on earth is that?” I said. “Be at yours in 10. I know where that is,” she said.

With rubber shoes on and the house all locked, I waited outside the gate for Claudia. Now this time, 10 minutes felt like forever. Then there she was; I jumped in, and off we went, and yes, there was a little Chihuahua running in the road with another dog in the Fahala area. It was heartbreaking not because it wasn’t George but because it was a complete look-alike of Kev, a tiny ginger hamster Chihuahua. He/she was gone in a flash.

Thanks to Claudia

Claudia took me home, we didn’t speak on the way, there was nothing to say, we were so tired of people telling us it was George. I know we were both thinking the same: Even if someone sees a pink poodle, they will call and tell me it’s George.

“Thanks, Claudia,” I said. “Try and get some sleep Christine,” she said. “Bye,” I sobbed.

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