Merlin was also extremely well known around our locality.  He and Pebble used to run over to the local high security women’s prison and spend lots of time being fussed over by the inmates who were allowed access to the prison farm.  Merlin would also nip down to town via the woods to visit his favourite bins behind Somerfield supermarket.  He would stop off en-route outside our vets near the Library to rest and nibble at whatever titbit he had found!  He would be spotted by friends who lived near Westerings School and was obviously a real local character.

In 1999 we travelled to north Devon to stay in a large country house near Buckland Filleigh with lots of our friends.  On our first day, our new Collie, Maisie and Merlin chased after deer and while Pebble returned quickly, Merlin was heard running off into the distance.  At first we didn’t worry too much because he was a bit of a nomad but after an hour or so we were really worried because it was out of character to go missing for long.

By the end of the day we were all sick at heart and knew he had got lost.  The next day we alerted the local radio station and newspaper and begged them to help us along with notifying the police and dog wardens.  There was no news or leads and we had to return home to Essex without him.  I was absolutely heartbroken and everyone said there was no chance of finding him. However, we didn’t give up.  How could we?  We rang as many people as we could think of and they all said the same – dogs go missing all the time and are never found.  After a couple of weeks we had a phone call via the Western Morning Press to say that a farmer had seen Merlin having one fun with one of his bitches on Exmoor and then someone else rang to say that he had been spotted near Buckfastleigh Abbey.  We also had a call from a school trip leader to say that Merlin had come to their camp on the edge of Dartmoor early one morning and they gave him some food.  This was all in south Devon so he had crossed Dartmoor already - some 65 miles!  Then, with a magazine, a free sample CD came through that had a small UK directory on it: an early192.com software sample.  It seemed like a sign so we started working through names in towns and villages in the south Devon area around Newton Abbott.  We rang people at random and explained who we were and asked if they could keep their eyes peeled for any sign.  The Western Morning News had published a photograph of Merlin so everyone knew what to look for.  All the people we phoned were kind and helpful.

By now, the news was spreading.  He kept stealing food at the abbey and turned up at the large shopping centre at South Brent on the A38 which was a really busy dual carriageway!  No one could get near him and he was very nervous and bared his teeth if anyone tried to catch him.  But at least we were tracking him and getting our hopes up.  We guessed he would continue to go south and started telephoning people in villages on the minor roads as we knew he hated traffic!  One phone call was to a lovely lady in Stoke Gabriel who promised to look out for him just as the others had but this was our lucky telephone call.  About a week later we heard from her on Bank Holiday Monday night.  Thelma Johns and her husband had been walking on Berry Head and seen Merlin.  Again, they tried to approach him but he ran away.  We thanked her and said we would try and get down there.  We excitedly looked up Berry Head on the map and saw it was a headland with nowhere else to go and decided to go for it as it was the best and most recent lead we had had. We drove non stop and arrived at about 4.30 am.  We couldn't believe how big an area the headland was and despaired of finding him so decided to camp out until we could call the local authorities to help us.

All the way up the road I called his name out of the car window.  We prayed non stop and really believed we would find him. At the top car park, I wandered over towards the cliffs and kept whistling and calling.  I turned round to go back to the car and saw a small shadow slink out of the bushes and drop down.  I thought it was probably a cat but went over anyway.  I didn’t dare hope but my heart was racing and hammering so much.  In the dark I couldn’t be sure but my husband had a small torch and there, lying exhausted at my feet was our dear dog.  We were both so emotional and hugged him and picked him up and put him in the back of our car.  He was almost limp, he was so pathetic.  He looked up as if to say, “At last I can rest.”  We decided to drive straight back and make phone calls when we got home.

 

From then on it was utter madness.  We called the Western Morning News first to thank everyone who had helped us and it started a whole media circus of photographs for the tabloids and newspapers; radio interviews; TV appearances; and calls from as far as afield as Belgium and Eire!  

Mrs Thelma Johns was linked up via a TV show so we could speak to each other and so it went on.  The company 192.com featured a photograph of me and Merlin on all their CDs and Channel 4 filmed us in a feature about the company. The vet removed over 30 sheep ticks and patched up his poor sore paws.  Merlin was famous.  Most importantly – Merlin was home.