Lost and found puppy

Lost and FOUND puppyAlpinarc Brise d'hiver - "Brise" (french for Breeze) Written: 19th November 2006Thursd ay night, 13th October 2006, I came home from work and experienced a dog owners nightmare.. My gorgeous little puppy "Brise" was MISSING! She was just shy of 4 months old, and 2 weeks away from being exported to New Caledonia. At this early age, Brise had already let an eventful life. My "pick of the litter female" originally went to a new home in South Australia at 8 weeks old. Unfortunately, and with many tears, Brise, or "Kota" at that time, could not stay due to unforeseeable living circumstances with her new owner, so my friend Kym minded her for the weekend where she was affectionately known as "Karma", and then off to Jody from Crystal Gate kennels while I organised travel for puppy back to me. I thank both of you for helping out with temporary accomodation for the beautiful little puppy that left paw prints on many, many hearts. I contacted a lady in New Caledonia, who missed out on a girl from this litter, and she was delighted that one had become available, so "Brise" was back on a plane to me in Sydney.. This girl has earnt her frequent flyer points! Brise was entered in the 2006 WSSDCA show, in the hope I could send her to her new home in New Caledonia with some ribbons. WOW, 1st Baby Puppy Bitch, and BEST Baby Puppy in SHOW!! Her and her siblings also received 1st Best Littermates. It was a successful day.. Her Import permit organised, flight booked, the countdown was on.. Her "new" owner could hardly contain her excitement as the day drew near for Brise to again board a plane, this time to her "Forever" home. This puppy was to be the beginning of a dream. Then our world came crashing down on the fateful night Brise disappeared, leading to many tears shed from the hearts she had touched.  I came home at 11:30pm, changed into my pajamas, and as usual, went to get my goodnight kisses from my dogs. They were all there, except Brise! I spent ALL night and the next day in a frantic state. I do not know how much fuel i used drving around, and around, and around.. I printed flyers and put them up in every possible public place, did letter box drops (in my P.J's at 4am!) Spent hours on the phone ringing animal shelters, councils, schools, everywhere i could possibly think of! I even rang the police. Kym covered the internet side of things making the world aware of Brise's disappearance. (thank you soo much) .. Petsearch, State wide and local newspaper notices.. ahh... it all turned up nothing! In the hope Brise would be found, I waited a week until I broke the news to her owner in New Caledonia. That was one of the most hardest things i have had to do.. I vowed I would never stop looking for her, but as the date for her export came and went, I must admit my hope was beginning to fade. I just wish i knew that she was safe and well, yet was so angry thinking that someone had her and did not even have the decency to do the right thing by having her scanned for her microchip. Keeping something you have found is theft, no matter how you look at it.. A cute puppy is a tempting thing. 2 weeks ago, I packed up Brises winnings from the show, ready to send them to New Caledonia, with a 2007 WSSDCA Calendar that she graced the pages as "Miss March." It was sad looking at them, and i felt, even though she was gone, they belonged to who was going to be her owner before she went missing.. I walked past that envelope every day taking a mental note to remind myself to put it in the post next time i left for work.. Part of me wanted to hold on to them, but i knew i had to let go.. Then, yesterday the 18th November, as if by fate, i managed to leave work an hour and a half early. (No mean feat on a Saturday i tell you!) I arrived home at 3:45 in the afternoon, said hi to all to the dogs through the gate, and went inside to get changed for a quick "walkies." The house phone started ringing, I ran downstairs to answer it.. "Hello, this is Renbury Farm Animal Shelter, we have one of your girls down here." No way, i just checked them, they were ALL there safe and sound! She said "the one you reported missing.." I exclaimed, "Pardon? the PUPPY? From 5 weeks ago?" .. OH MY LORD, IT WAS HER!! Brise was FOUND!!!! I don't even remember the drive there, I was shaking so much.. I was in total disbelief. I even met her 'rescuer', thrust a bottle of red wine in her hand and gave her a bear tight hug! I am so grateful to the kind woman that handed her in after her partner found Brise, stuck, swimming and very tired in a water canal. She was in excellent health, great weight, but had the tell tale signs of a recent application of "Frontline Flea Treatment" or similar on the back of her neck. One can only assume, that someone found her, and looked after her with the intention of keeping her.. She escaped, and after becoming thirsty, climbed down the steep bank of the concrete water course for a drink and fell in.. Thankfully, this womans partner's job is to mow the grass along side of the canal.. He found a very tired Brise swimming in the water, climbed down and pulled her out! If he had not been there that day, she would of surely drowned, as once a dog falls in, there is no way out! She is safe now, happy as always, oblivious to all the fuss.. and oh my, how she has grown! You can only imagine how excited and relieved her owner is New Caledonia is. Brise is going home, where she belongs, next month.. A happy ending all round! And who says dreams don't come true? This dream just took a detour and had an adventure on the way!Brise- forever in the hearts of many as her next adventure begins..