John and Julie Pearson went on a 10-day vacation to Turkey in June. They left their 13-year-old Border Collie Fred with a sitter back home in Staffordshire. They thought he would be safe while they were away, but things quickly took a turn for the worse.
On the fourth day of the couple’s vacation, the dog-sitter called to tell them that Fred was missing. They panicked and canceled the remainder of their vacation to search for their beloved dog. But the more they talked to the sitter, the more things weren’t adding up.
An Unclear Timeline
Before the sitter told the couple Fred was missing, she texted them at 12:36 pm UK time to say that Fred had diarrhea. However, she later said that she was stuck in the river with three dogs at that time. But if she were getting the dogs out of the river, she wouldn’t be texting them about Fred’s digestive problems at the same time.
“We know Fred doesn’t like the water so I can’t see him going in the water voluntarily,” John said. “She says he got out on his own, she had got three dogs off their leads, and says they all went in the river.”
A woman who helped the sitter get the dogs out of the water said she didn’t remember seeing a dog that matched Fred’s description. So, Fred might have been missing before the sitter even went by the river.
According to the couple, the sitter left the river at 12:59 pm, and there’s no evidence that she looked for Fred after. Julie and John were the ones who called the police and reported Fred missing, not the sitter.
Fred is Still Missing
Julie and John don’t know exactly what happened, but they know something isn’t adding up. It’s been over two months, and Fred is still missing without any sightings. The dog was wearing a collar with his tags when they gave him to the sitter, so it’s unusual that no one has called yet.
“There’s a phone number on his collar but we’ve had no phone calls. [The sitter] said it might have come off when she dragged him out but first she said he had got out on his own. She is changing her story all the time,” said John.
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The couple said that Fred is friendly toward everyone, so if he were missing, he would’ve approached someone by now. Thus, there’s a possibility that he was stolen either by the sitter or someone who found him.
Fred was last seen in Westbridge Park in Stone, England. You can see updates and report sightings at the “Have You Seen Fred” Facebook group.
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