Write a comment
It's not very ofter a dog disappears in Newry and is found 8 days later nearly 50kms away but that is what happened to intrepid Max who started out on his very own adventure at 1am Saturday 2 December only to be discovered in County Louth.
His owner, well known photographer Mark Pearce went out to check a noisy car parked outside his house at Damolly early on the Saturday morning but as soon as he opened his gate Max legged it around the corner thus starting a long week of searching and stressing.
Mark explained "Now he does chase the cats in the area and I thought he'd be away for five minutes and he'd come back. Twenty minutes later, he wasn't there, an hour later, two hours later, he wasn't there. I went to sleep and the next day, looked about and checked Facebook because he's done this before and people have taken him into their house. Not a word, nothing."
Max was all the more special because Mark had owned his mother and Max had been given to a new owner and after Max's mother had died they gave him back to Mark.
Mark who runs the NewryUN's page on social media took to his channels with video and pleas for help which seemed to no avail.
He searched throughout the city, told everybody and even Iit candles. After three days he started looking in ditches thinking that he was hurt or maybe dead. "My heart was broken. I searched the rest of the week and nothing. I put another video up and then the day before yesterday I got home and there was a message from a lady who sent me a link from Ardee where the Guards had 'arrested him' and 'taken him into custody' before giving him to the LSPCA.
The lady phoned the LSPCA for Mark but informend him because it was Sunday they were closed until the following day and that he would need proof of ownership.
Mark explained "I didn't have proof. Bar my Facebook account I didn't have proof that he was mine. Turns out he is chipped but the form was never sent away. He phoned the LSPCA the following day and arranged to collect him.
"A friend that I met on Facebook who I don't know offered me a lift up and we picked him up and took him home and it was beautiful to be reunited. It's really great to see everybody's comments on Facebook the way that he connected it was lovely."
Max was found by the Garda at the edge of a roundabout by the Motorway near Ardee on Sunday 10 December and they give him to the LSPCA.
As Mark points out "If max was out looking romance or chasing cats.. sure Ardee… it be 10 hours to walk the roads straight to to there.. 46km away & 700 metres all uphill from Damolly .. .. thats dedication if that was the reason he rambled soo far"
At least now Max is home for Christmas and Mark and Max are ready to enjoy some festive cheer.
