Dog lovers unite to bring home Mila
Dog lovers across two Sussex towns mounted a huge search operation in a race against time to bring home a terrified dog to her worried family.
Paul Robins, from UK Power Networks, was the final link in a long chain of kindness shown by concerned residents and businesses in Crawley and Eastbourne as rescue dog Mila gave her owners the slip on Tuesday.
Owner Alice Wright, who burst into tears as she was reunited with Mila on Thursday, said: “Everyone was amazing, they don’t even know my dog, but they were so kind and generous with their time. This whole experience has left me with a nice fuzzy feeling about humanity.”
Paul, a field staff supervisor for the electricity company, said: “It made my day when Mila was reunited with Alice. Mila came to life and started rolling around and when Alice burst into tears I had a lump in my throat, it was emotional.”
The drama began on Tuesday as Alice, from the Roselands area of Eastbourne, set off on a hiking holiday to Wales with her other dog Jack, leaving their recently adopted rescue dog Mila with her partner at work in Crawley. At midday her partner called Alice with the bad news that Mila had bolted out of an open door and a search party was launched.
Mila was traced as far as Tilgate Park and the forest, but disorientated and frightened in new unfamiliar surroundings, she evaded capture. Alice quickly joined the search and amassed a growing following of support on social media networks in Crawley and Eastbourne. Sightings poured in showing Mila had crossed the A23 unscathed and was spotted at Asda and Three Bridges train station, before worrying reports she had been seen on the railway tracks.
Lost Dog Recovery UK South printed hundreds of leaflets through contacts in Eastbourne and set up motion sensor cameras, a blanket and food to tempt Mila into a garden backing onto the railway line. Alice twice saw Mila on the railway line from a bridge, and kind staff from Network Rail and Sussex Police sent staff to the area to safely search the railway line, but Mila was nowhere to be found.
On Thursday, and unaware of the drama, electricity engineer Paul was collecting some equipment from UK Power Networks’ depot in Stephenson Way in Crawley. He said: “I could hear rustling in the bushes nearby, then growling and then I saw her. She growled a bit, then flopped on the floor and I could see she had a tag.
“My colleague watched her to make sure she didn’t run off while I cautiously approached her. She looked terrified. I gently touched her back and she let me stroke her so I could see her tag, then we phoned the number on the tag and gave Alice directions to the yard.
“Mila wouldn’t move at all so eventually I picked her up, she was so chilled out. She hadn’t eaten for a couple of days. It was so nice to see her reunited with Alice.”
Alice said: “I laughed when I saw ‘Princess Mila’ scooped up in Paul’s arms. She is fine now. When she got home she was play fighting with our other dog Jack as if nothing had happened. She is fine and I’m the one traumatised by the experience! We’re just so relieved and grateful to everyone for their help and kindness.”
Published: 21/08/23
Paul Robins, from UK Power Networks, was the final link in a long chain of kindness shown by concerned residents and businesses in Crawley and Eastbourne as rescue dog Mila gave her owners the slip on Tuesday.
Owner Alice Wright, who burst into tears as she was reunited with Mila on Thursday, said: “Everyone was amazing, they don’t even know my dog, but they were so kind and generous with their time. This whole experience has left me with a nice fuzzy feeling about humanity.”
Paul, a field staff supervisor for the electricity company, said: “It made my day when Mila was reunited with Alice. Mila came to life and started rolling around and when Alice burst into tears I had a lump in my throat, it was emotional.”
The drama began on Tuesday as Alice, from the Roselands area of Eastbourne, set off on a hiking holiday to Wales with her other dog Jack, leaving their recently adopted rescue dog Mila with her partner at work in Crawley. At midday her partner called Alice with the bad news that Mila had bolted out of an open door and a search party was launched.
Mila was traced as far as Tilgate Park and the forest, but disorientated and frightened in new unfamiliar surroundings, she evaded capture. Alice quickly joined the search and amassed a growing following of support on social media networks in Crawley and Eastbourne. Sightings poured in showing Mila had crossed the A23 unscathed and was spotted at Asda and Three Bridges train station, before worrying reports she had been seen on the railway tracks.
Lost Dog Recovery UK South printed hundreds of leaflets through contacts in Eastbourne and set up motion sensor cameras, a blanket and food to tempt Mila into a garden backing onto the railway line. Alice twice saw Mila on the railway line from a bridge, and kind staff from Network Rail and Sussex Police sent staff to the area to safely search the railway line, but Mila was nowhere to be found.
On Thursday, and unaware of the drama, electricity engineer Paul was collecting some equipment from UK Power Networks’ depot in Stephenson Way in Crawley. He said: “I could hear rustling in the bushes nearby, then growling and then I saw her. She growled a bit, then flopped on the floor and I could see she had a tag.
“My colleague watched her to make sure she didn’t run off while I cautiously approached her. She looked terrified. I gently touched her back and she let me stroke her so I could see her tag, then we phoned the number on the tag and gave Alice directions to the yard.
“Mila wouldn’t move at all so eventually I picked her up, she was so chilled out. She hadn’t eaten for a couple of days. It was so nice to see her reunited with Alice.”
Alice said: “I laughed when I saw ‘Princess Mila’ scooped up in Paul’s arms. She is fine now. When she got home she was play fighting with our other dog Jack as if nothing had happened. She is fine and I’m the one traumatised by the experience! We’re just so relieved and grateful to everyone for their help and kindness.”
Published: 21/08/23