Dog's 36-day escapade ends on island 40 miles from home
A lost dog has returned home after a 40-mile journey that finished with a swim across a harbour.
Amber, a five-year-old retriever cross, had been missing for 36 days when she was picked up by a boat crew.
The rescue dog went missing from her foster home at Bramshaw, in the New Forest, on April 25.
In the following days, there were 63 reported sightings of her in the National Park, with food stations put out and cameras set up to try and locate her.
But she somehow walked in a south-westerly direction across the Forest to the coast and ended up in Sandbanks, Poole.
She then paddled for one mile across Poole Harbour to reach Brownsea Island.
One of the few residents on the island put out food for Amber each night after spotting her. But after four days, the dog attempted to swim back to the mainland and was seen by the crew of a passing ferry who thought she was a seal.
Crew mate Ethan Grant said: 'I then realised it was a dog and thought, 'what's that doing out there?' You could see she was struggling, so we thought we need to get her out otherwise she wouldn't have made it.'
Amber was checked by a vet and, despite spending five weeks on her own, was found to be relatively unscathed.
She lost a lot of weight and is now getting extra meals to gain it back before she can be considered for adoption.
Amber had been rescued as a street puppy in Qatar but had spent most of her life in a shelter there.
She was brought to the UK by KS Angels Rescue, an organisation run by husband and wife team Sam Collins and Kelly Parker.
Amber had been staying with foster carer Jess Wadsworth, who said she had no idea how the dog had escaped past 8ft-high deer fencing.
Ms Wadsworth said: 'We were really concerned because she had no knowledge of the UK, no one she had bonded with and she was just running from everyone. We were wondering how on earth we would ever get her back.'
Both Mr Collins and Ms Parker praised the response from residents across Hampshire and Dorset who helped in the search for Amber.
Ms Parker said: 'Thanks to them, we have been able to track Amber as we had sightings most days. Now she will be spending time with her foster family as she needs fattening up and help building up her tolerance to people.
'The woman Amber befriended on Brownsea Island has already contacted us about adoption, so we are in talks with her.'
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Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
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Three missing children found dead after vanishing on visit with homeless dad as cops slammed for not issuing Amber Alert
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THREE missing sisters have been found dead days after they were reported missing while visiting their dad. Authorities are being accused of "failing" the sisters by not issuing an Amber Alert for them as cops launch a manhunt for their father, who is charged with kidnapping and killing them. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Whitney Decker with her daughters Olivia, Evelyn, and Paityn Decker Credit: GoFundMe 6 Travis Decker, 32, who is accused of kidnapping and killing his daughters Credit: Wenatchee Police Department 6 Cops are still searching for Decker, a military veteran who is believed to be mentally unstable Credit: Facebook Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead on Monday night after cops swarmed Rock Island Campground, about an hour outside of Wenatchee, Washington, where the girls lived with their mother. 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"These girls are gone because the system FAILED them. The police didn't take it seriously, and the court system let them down too. "There was a predator out there and instead of protecting our community, you stayed silent. No alerts, no warnings nothing." 6 Olivia Decker, 5, who was found dead on Monday night with her sisters Credit: Wenatchee Police Department 6 Evelyn Decker, 8, and her sisters were found about an hour outside their home in Wenatchee, Washington Credit: Wenatchee Police Department 6 Paityn Decker, 9, and her sisters were last seen with their father during a custody visit on Friday Credit: Wenatchee Police Department Another wrote, "How come an amber alert was not issued until it made national news? You failed this mother and her kids. "The amber alert should have been issued the day he didn't come back and no contact could be made." It's unclear how the three girls died, but Decker has been charged with their murders. Cops warned members of the public not to approach Decker, a veteran who they believe is mentally unstable. Timeline of the missing Decker girls Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead at a campground after they were last seen on a custody visit to their dad. Below is a timeline of events: Friday, May 30 5 pm - The three girls are picked up from their mom's house by their dad, Travis Decker 9:45 pm - Whitney Decker calls the Wenatchee Police Department to report her daughters missing Travis' truck is seen driving westbound on Highway 2. Washington State Patrol is contacted for an Amber Alert but said the situation didn't match their criteria. Saturday, May 31 WPD issues an Endangered Missing Persons Alert. Monday, June 2 3:45 pm - Decker's truck is found empty at Rock Island Campground. 5 pm - Cops search the area and find the bodies of the three girls. Tuesday, June 3 9:30 am - Cops notify the public that they are still searching for Decker. Crime scene processing is expected to conclude. "Decker is a former Military with extensive training," the Wenatchee Police Department said. It's unclear if he is armed. He was living out of his truck, which was found abandoned on the campground with the girls' bodies. MOM'S CONCERNS Decker's ex-wife, the girls' mom, previously shared that there were never any problems with their daughters visiting him in the past. "Travis has really struggled since he left the military and his mental health can be hard sometimes," Whitney Decker told Seattle CBS affiliate KIRO on Monday, before the girls' bodies were found. "I think this is an effect of that, and I don't personally think that he's dangerous." She added, "I think that he is impulsive and he loves his children very much." Wenatchee Police Department said in a press release on Saturday that Decker is homeless and lives in his truck, in hotels, or at campgrounds in the area. "The visitation was part of a parenting plan, but he has since gone outside the parameters of it which is not normal and cause for the alarm," cops said at the time. A GoFundMe to support Whitney has raised $50,000 of its $100,000 goal. "These girls were true light in this world and and it is a darker place without them," the fundraiser's organizer wrote. "I will miss seeing their sweet little faces."
