The Netten family and dozens of volunteers have been searching for their dog for days. The 8 year old Lady ‘feels like a child’ to the family. “She is really missed. We just have heartache,” says mother Veronique in tears.
The desperation is great. “Lady is just a family member. A child. I’ve had her since she was five and a half weeks old,” Veronique explains. Her golden dog throne is in the middle of the living room. Empty.
A week ago, on New Year’s Eve, things went wrong. Veronique, together with her husband and their ten and fourteen-year-old sons, set off fireworks in the street. “We knew Lady was very scared, so we didn’t want to let her in alone. Otherwise she’ll panic and start peeing and digging.”
Lady stayed in the backyard. “Then she heard us. I went to check on her in between. And then suddenly she was gone.” Fearing the fireworks, the eight-year-old dog probably slipped through the hedge.
Since then, the family has been doing everything they can to find their dog. “Catch cages and wildlife cameras have been installed. A sniffer dog has been used. We drove around, walked and cycled. Bombarded social media and pasted flyers in places I didn’t even know existed. Basically everything. I just don’t remember what we should do.”
Lady was last seen on Zoomvlietweg in Bergen op Zoom last Tuesday. “A horseman saw her walking behind him. From that moment on she seems to have gone up in smoke. I don’t know where to look anymore.” Veronique suspects that some people mistake her for a deer, rabbit or hare.
“I think she’s hanging out in a forest somewhere. Or someone brought her in. But then let me know,” says Veronique with a tremble in her voice. “Maybe she is somewhere. Is she no longer there. Even then I want to know.”
Have you seen Lady? Please contact the Netten family on the following number: 06-42727606.