A heartbreaking momentary lapse has left a family devastated after they accidentally left their dog at Taree Service Centre on Friday afternoon, January 11.
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The last confirmed sighting of Rookie, an 11-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, was on Friday night on Kookaburra Drive, off Old Bar Road, which means he had safely crossed the Pacific Highway.
It had been a horror trip for Michael and Emma Sanders, and their three children.
They were returning from Queensland to collect belongings back home to Sydney.
The couple had their belongings in a container, and opened it to find everything had been eaten by termites, leaving them no possessions.
On the drive south, their son was suffering bouts of gastro and needed frequent toilet stops.
They stopped at Taree Service Centre so he could go to the bathroom, and that’s when Rookie went missing.
“It wasn’t a great trip,” Michael said.
“Whether that’s part of the reason this all happened, we don’t know.
“It was a pretty devastating trip home,” he said pondering on whether it was the high levels of stress that made them forgetful.
After swapping drivers, they drove as far as Bulahdelah before they realised Rookie wasn’t with them.
“We turned around straight away and raced back, but we missed him by about 20 minutes,” Emma said.
“Obviously initially there was shock and tears.
“When we were heading back to grab him where we’d left him behind, it was pretty heartbreaking for the kids.
“We were going back with all expectations that he’d be there and we’d just grab him and say sorry and off we’d go.
“For him to not be there was just heartbreaking,” Michael said.
“We’re kicking ourselves,” Emma said.
“We always say he was our best child.
“This dog is the best one we’ve ever owned, and we’ve always said that, so to do that and leave him there and he watched us drive away, I don’t know how we’re going to deal with that.”
Even amongst their worry, grief and guilt, Michael and Emma are humbled and grateful for the assistance given to the family by Manning Valley locals helping then to try and find their job.
“The community response that we received has been like nothing I’ve ever witnessed before or been a part of. It’s very heartwarming. There’s still people out there now running around saying ‘don’t worry, we’ll find your dog’. For a community to come together the way the people in Taree and around did for us, for people they’ve never met, don’t know, it was amazing,” Michael said.
“If Rookie’s found, I’d go up there and throw a barbie, almost a party for all the people that have helped and come along, and celebrate. Fingers crossed that can be an outcome!”
While they family is trying to stay optimistic, and hope that perhaps someone has picked him up and he is okay, they are being realistic.
“We haven’t given up all hope, but the reality is that it’s been five days without a sighting. We pray that he’s hidden up somewhere and he’s been able to get some food and some water. We were hoping the last couple of days he would get too hungry and thirsty and would come out and show himself,” Michael said.
“We’re just hopeful that somebody has him, or something,” Emma said.
“We just want our dog back.”
If you have seen Rookie or know anything about his whereabouts, please call the Sanders on 0400 800 124.