DOOKIE'S RESCUE SITE, REDUX
On 25 July, Sue writes:
Bill & I spent this afternoon revisiting the site
of Dookie's heart-stopping rescue.
It is a site that fills me with utter horror,
thinking of the absolutely terrifying seven days and nights
this petrified little boy has suffered, ending up
(we can only assume he fell)
by falling down a steep bank onto the very edge of the Yarra River.
Who knows how many days and nights he had been trapped there,
but my guess is several.
I had a long chat last night with the wonderful Maryke who,
with her three rowing companions, spotted Dookie's
little head and shoulders where he was tucked into the bank of the river,
as they sculled downstream.
Maryke is a member of Golden Retriever Rescue Inc. (GRR).
She described what they had seen:
They were about six metres [20 feet] out from the bank,
which is very steep and well-covered with long grass,
rushes and a lot of shrubbery as well as quite tall trees,
all crowded together. The actual edge of the water is mostly
a very thick band of Phragmites, a common native reed,
which reaches up to a couple of metres [6.5 feet] in height
above water level. It is quite impossible to see through.
The only way that they saw Dookie was because he was trapped
on a small ledge of earth, with no rushes growing on it,
but beneath the roots and branches of some old willows.
One of the women glimpsed him and said,
"I think that's a dog over there!"
Being dog lovers all of them,
they instantly checked their rowing and backed up,
and sure enough, 'a dog' was indeed there.
They managed to pull right into the bank and two of them
got onto the tiny ledge of sandy earth,
not knowing if he was injured or in severe pain,
but no way were they going to leave him alone.
Maryke said he was just so glad to see them,
and let them easily read the mobile numbers on his collar.
It was totally impossible to lift him out and get up the bank with him.
It's probably five metres [16 feet] up
to the top of the bank and it is very nearly vertical.
There is simply NO way Dookie could have jumped high enough
to get his paws onto the upper part of the bank.
Had he not been seen, he would have died there.
It chills me to picture this, as I know it will all of you.
Dookie's family, L - R: Michael, Phoebe, Darren
Bill & I climbed down as far as we could, but without a rope,
we couldn't actually get down onto the tiny platform he had sat or lay on.
Well, we could get down, but not back up. It isn't even flat,
but more of a slope so he couldn't even have lay out
in any degree of 'comfort'. There is one tiny sort of hollow,
almost like an entrance to a wombat burrow,
a bit further into the bank, where he may have curled up.
I just cry to think of the dreadful nights and lonely days he has spent this week,
and my guess - though we will never know -
is that he was trapped there after falling over the edge,
frantically running to escape the noise
and traffic that is nonstop on the road above.
We can only thank the sharp eyes and kind hearts of
Maryke, Susie, Deanne & Deirdre, all of whom are dog lovers
and who gave Dookie the gift of Rescue all over again.
Bill & I left the site of Dookie's entrapment feeling very shaky ourselves.
It's a hideous memory that will stay forever, I am afraid.
What's for dinner, Dad? I'm HUNGRY!
We then retrieved a lot of the Dookie posters
we'd put in various places on Thursday,
including one of the dog-walking areas some distance
from where he had actually disappeared,
and it was heartwarming to be greeted by several dog people
who asked if he'd been found.
The delight in their faces when we said yes was wonderful to see.
They also promised to let others know.
Next we visited Maryke's home and delivered a gift
for each of four ladies' dogs, an AireNet Bandana
and a card expressing our deep and enduring gratitude for this miracle.
Dookie himself has some recovery to do,
but is resting, eating and sleeping and we must hope that
this dreadful experience will ultimately fade to a blur,
as life becomes bright again.
GOLDEN RETRIEVER OWNED BY LADY RESCUER
All of the four women who rescued Dookie are dog owners.
Their dogs weren't with them of course at the time,
but this is the GR (named Ellie) belonging to Maryke,
We gave bandanas to Maryke for all four of the group's dogs.
Honorairey Airedales now.
AND HERE IS DOOKIE AT WOMBAT BEND
WITH BILL, EMMA & CHILLI
THIS WEBSITE IS BROUGHT TO YOU
BY JACKIE'S BOOK,
THE SALES OF WHICH BENEFIT MANY
RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS WORLD WIDE.
CLICK ON THE BOOK COVER
FOR MORE INFORMATION.
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