In Ireland’s Willow National Park, an 8-year-old retriever named Neesha went missing in early January. It was a long walk for her and another pet – a sheepdog named Harley. Both dogs fled when they saw the deer. The next day, Harley was found in the parking lot, and Neesha disappeared.
Drones were launched into the air, but no dog was found in the forest. In the hope that Neesha would find unwashed linen by smell and escape the park, they left a basket filled with unwashed linen at the place where they last saw her. Social media was also used by the family to spread the word about the retriever. Neesha’s fate remained unknown for a long time. We searched for her for a week, then another, but we lost hope,” said Erina O’Shea Goetelen, the dog’s owner. Eventually, the family accepted that their pet would never return.
Despite the frosty and snowy weather, Jean-Francois Bonnet and Ciara Nolan found a dog curled up between large boulders on the summit of Willow. Neesha was frightened and trembling all over when her rescuers found her. She kept falling when they tried to put her on her paws. The retriever was placed on Ciara’s husband’s back, and he carried her down the mountain. Slipping on the ice, the man fell several times. Ciara tied a scarf around the retriever to protect it. An operator at Ash Animal Rescue confirmed the dog’s identity by viewing a video of the dog sent by the couple.
Rescuers knew the family was searching for Neesha, and couldn’t believe their eyes – the dog survived two weeks on a snowy mountaintop without food or water! It was as if a miracle had happened. In spite of losing a lot of weight and being dehydrated, Neesha was fine. It was such a relief,” Erina recalls. Neesha’s rescuers brought her home, and we didn’t know how to thank them. It is an amazing group of people. They have been a great help to us.”
