2019-06-01+Woman+and+Home

LostDog:A Love

StorybyKateSpicer

(EburyPress,£16.99),

is out now in hardback

and,whiletheymaynothavebeenout

huntingforhim,theyputpostersupin

thestation.Astheheatrosearound

findingWolfy,I wasabletoleanon

newspapersandlocalradio,trying

tofinda touchingstorytheymight

beinterestedin.I wantedthewhole

citytokeepaneyeoutforhim.If

hehadbeenstolen,I wanted him

tobe“toohottohandle”.

Wideningthehunt

OnethingI learnedasI huntedfor

Wolfyis thatwenaturallyapproach

peoplewholooklikeourselves,and

towidenoutthesearchI hadtoleave

mycomfortzone.AsI trudgedaround

thestreets,I wasshownkindness

bymanypeoplethatoftenhoveron

theoutskirtsofsociety– homeless

people,newarrivalstothiscountry

whospokebarelyanyEnglish.I went

totravellerandgypsysitesagainst

advice,butwasgreetedbyother

lurcher-loverswhoshared their own

lost-dogstories.

Eightdaysafterhehadgonewe

wentona wildWolfygoosechase

tocheckouta sightingmilesfrom

whereheranaway.Myboyfriend

wascynical.Hethoughtit wasa hoax.

Herangthedogwardenforthat

boroughwhosaidit didn’tsurprise

her.“Thesedogscantravelmiles

orpeoplepickthemupand then

abandonthemagain.”

Incredibly,thedogmayhave

coveredmany,manymilesin that time.

If youhavethemettle,

thereis a schoolofthought

thatsaysleaveit tothe

gods– thedogwilleither

turnuporit won’t.Thisis

whatI’dcallthe“white

knuckle”approach.Aftera

weekmyboyfriendtoldme

wehadtostoplooking.He

saidsearchingendlesslyforthedog

wasdrivingusmadandmakingusill.

If Wolfywasoutthere,wehadtotrust

hewouldbefound.Andif Wolfywas

dead,well,therewasnothingwecould

do.Myfamilyagreedwithhim.I said

I agreedtoo,butit wasa lie.

OndaynineI toldeveryonethat

I wasgoingtoworkearly,butI was,

in fact, walking the streets of Tufnell

Park,stillputtinguplostdogposters,

dragginga smellysockona stick

behindmeandsquirtinga

bottleofmyurineonfences

andwallsatdog-nose

height,hopingWolfywould

smellit andsniffhisway

backtomybrother’shouse.

Myboyfriendrangme,

thinkingI wasworking,and

toldmehehadreceived

anotherhoaxcallfromsomeonewho

saidtheyhadthedog,butthathewas

goingtocheckit out,justincase.

Faithinhumanity

Miraculously,afterninedaysonthe

streets,Wolfywasfound.A guygot

toworkata garageandheardhim

howlingbehindsomesteelrailings.

The dog was battered, hungry,

“I was met

with 95

per cent

kindness”

WolfyandKateare

happily reunited

dehydratedandtrapped.Themad

thingis,theguywhofoundhimhad

seennopostersandheard nothing

abouttheWolfyhunt.

Regardless,I wouldstillrecommend

activelyseekinga lostdog.As

I walkedaroundforninedaysinthe

neighbourhoodsWolfymighthave

beenspottedin,I wasmetwith95%

kindnessandcompassion.If nothing

else,it gavemehope.Hunting

formydognearlydestroyedmy

relationshipwithmyfamily,but it

totallyrestoredmyfaith

in humanity. w&h

memoir

photogrAph

gERRARd gETHIngs