Christchurch Man's Long Search For His Lost Dog

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28473, 31 December 1957, Page 8

Christchurch Man's Long Search For His Lost Dog

Almost every night Mr M. M Rathie leaves his home at 16 Onslow street and drives for miles around the countryside in search of a 14-year-old dog, Monty, which has been missing since October 23. Monty is the household pet of Mr and Mrs Rathie, who are offering a reward of £5O for his return.

Monty is a cross between a fox terrier and a spaniel. His ears are down, and he wears no collar. He has a large goitre, and cannot bark very much. He is black, with- white on his breast, and is very friendly. On the night of October 23. Monty, which was usually brought inside to his bed in the washhouse much earlier, was temporarily forgotten until 10.30 p.m., when a neighbour saw him and patted him. Mr and Mrs Rathie have not seen him since They have received reports of his being found on the road with blood gushing from hjs mouth, and of his being found in a ditch, and several persons have reported seeing him around Christchurch One night Mrs'Rathie received a telephone call from a man saying that Monty was lying dead on Idris road. When she arrived neither Monty nor any person

was there. There was no blood on the road or on the grass verge, although she later received another call from a man who said he had dragged the dog off the road. This second caller said that the dog was bleeding profusely from the mouth. He was certain it was Monty. Call to S.P.CA

A nearby resident said that members of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had at that time just left. They had received a call urging them to put a dying dog out of its misery. They also could find no trace of blood or of a dying dog. The same night a boy about 10 years of age spoke to another resident about a dog dying in the middle of the road in a pool of blood, and asked for help. The boy was not known to the resident. s. A man who said he saw the dog on the road was interviewed by both Mrs Rathie and the police He said he thought someone had stolen the body, but could give no explanation why anyone should do so. Neither could he explain the absence of blood on the road and the grass verge. It was at one time thought that | the dog found buried near- the

Ensors road railway crossing might have been Monty, but that dog was a brown and white spaniel Even after more than two months Mr and Mrs Rathie have not given up all hope of getting Monty back. Mr Rathie has travelled more than 4000 miles in his car looking for him. “It wouldn’t be so bad if we knew what had happened to him,” said Mrs Rathie. “It’s the uncertainty that is so harcL”