When Rebecca Lee’s pet dog Royce went missing in December the support she received from Lost and Found Pets Illawarra motivated her to become more active as a volunteer to help the Facebook site help others.
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Royce disappeared in bush near Tarrawanna during a walk when he was scared by lightning. Ms Lee was traumatised and wanted to do everything she could to find him
Among the tips on the Facebook page was to hang one of her shirts up in the area where he went missing.
It worked and four days after he disappeared Ms Lee’s scent caught Royce’s attention.
“The next morning a really lovely lady, who is actually a vet nurse, found Royce at the corner of the street nearby,” Ms Lee said.
Royce had five paralysis ticks and needed urgent veterinary attention.
Ms Lee wants to share her story because there has been a spate of missing pets recently including a dog named Oscar who disappeared near Coniston Beach and has not been seen for over a week.
The last month has been particularly busy with fireworks and thunderstorms being a factor in many dogs disappearing.
“I hope my story gives owners with missing pets hope,” Ms Lee said.
“And I want to share what you can do if your pet goes missing. Too many animals are getting out. A few are getting hit by cars.”
When Royce first went missing Nicole Harrison and Rebecca Prokop, of Lost and Found Pets Illawarra, were quick to help.
“I was on the phone crying because I couldn’t find Royce,” Ms Lee said.
“They were fantastic. Nicole made Royce’s flyer. She also spoke to me at many hours of the night to tell me to never give up.
“Rebecca kept me calm and spoke to me at all hours and was a wonderful support”.
As was Naughty Dog School’s Sandra Mullaly.
“Sandra helped me a lot with Royce and his anxiety and a lot with his behaviour since his been out of the bush. And they do day care,” Ms Lee said
Two local veterinarians were also an enormous help.
They were Paul Partland and the staff at Illawarra Animal Hospital and Brett Beehag, of Greencross Vet, who saved Royce’s life by immediately giving him anti-tick serum.
“Both vets Paul and Brett called me everyday to make sure Royce was okay,” she said.
Ms Lee not only wants to thank them and the community that responded to the flyer and posts on Lost and Found Pets Illawarra. She also wants let all pet owners know the army of support that is out there and can be activated at such a time.
As a volunteer Ms Lee now helps to reunite pets with their owners.
“When people post on the site that they have found a dog one of the administrators of the site will contact me and ask if I am able to pick up the lost dog and take it to the owner or the RSPCA,” she said.
“I get to reunite pets. It is great. I love it. The Facebook page is run for the community by volunteers who do it because they love animals and want to reunite them.”
“Some people who saw the posts on Lost and Found Pets Illawarra brought chicken to try and lure Royce out of the bush and others were trekking through the bush for days”.
Another tip Ms Lee wants to share is don’t just ring up the RSPCA when you have a missing pet. Go in and have a look yourself.
“I also changed my Facebook profile picture to Royce so people could see,” she said.
“It is just about being active constantly. Don’t give up. And the administrators of Lost and Found Pets Illawarra are so active. They do everything they can to help. It is a great page.”
Ms Lee said putting dogs and cats inside when there is a storm or fireworks was also important and the most effective way of stopping them escape.
Adequate fencing for dogs is also a must because many escape by jumping a fence when they are scared.
And of course name tags and up to date microchip details are vital.
Ms Lee said Naughty Dog School don’t just offer Doggy Day Care but came to her house and helped Royce with his anxiety.
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
