Couple makes heart breaking plea after sitter took dog for a walk and he hasn’t been seen since
Couple makes heart breaking plea after sitter took dog for a walk and he hasn’t been seen since
It has been 160 days since Lynn and Terry Maher’s German Shepherd, Shadow, was last seen after a dog sitter took him for a walk at the Liverpool Loop Line. The couple previously told the ECHO how their world “fell apart” after they landed back from their dream holiday and were told their dog had run away.
Lynn, 64, from Halewood, said: “We came back from a fantastic time in America, despite two hurricanes, but we came back to a worse storm. We were away for three weeks and put Shadow with a minder and the day we came back, as we were on our way to get him they phoned us to say he’d been taken out for a walk, got spooked by a firework, pulled out of their hand and run off down the Liverpool Loop Line.”
The couple rushed straight to where Shadow had vanished to help search for their missing dog. Lynn said: “There was no sign of him. We spent the rest of the day and have been out every day since looking for him.”
It has now been 160 days since Shadow vanished but the couple refuse to give up hope. Lynn said: “It’s frustrating but we follow up every lead. We have driven up and down the country from Yorkshire to South Wales and all around the North West area following up sightings of Shadow.
“We have even emailed corresponded with Ireland and Scotland and everywhere where there has been a possible sighting of him. People have been great sharing on Facebook and contacting us with sightings, there was one post that went up the day before my birthday that got over 5,000 shares.”
She added: “Somebody knows something, somebody has got to know something. Even if it’s bad news we would rather know. It’s soul destroying not knowing.”
Sadly, the couple have been ‘frustrated’ after experiencing ‘hoax’ calls from members of the public in the search for their pet. Lynn said: “We’re fed up with people calling us with hoax calls saying they have watched him get spread across Bootle strand by a bus.
“One man phoned and said he found a dog matching his description in Liverpool city centre and was asking for the reward money. I’d told him to send me proof or take him to the closest police station or vets and he would get the reward money. It turned out he had been live-streaming the whole conversation on TikTok, it was horrible.”
Lynn and Terry, 65, claim they have been having “up and down” days following the disappearance. Lynn added: “Some days we’re OK then something happens and we go downhill again.
“The last possible sighting was in West Derby cemetery in February. We followed it up, put cameras up, food stations, but nothing happened. It’s horrible.
“We have done all sorts from printing banners out and putting them around the area, we have door knocked, people are looking out for him. We will never give up hope of getting him home.
“Every time there is a possible sighting we build our hopes up. We just want to urge people to check out dog sitters properly before leaving their dogs with them.”
If you see Shadow please call 07787 710963 or 07783 362960.
