Two beloved pet dogs that vanished while they were out for a walk in the hills are safe at home thanks to the smell of grilled sausages.
Miniature schnauzers Charlie and Theo were missing for four days after disappearing in thick fog on the Red Pike fell near Buttermere, Cumbria.
Distraught owners Liz and Graham Hampson launched a rescue campaign and sought help from mountain rescue teams, family and friends.
There was no sign of the dogs as more than 120 people and two drones scoured the hills, so Liz and Graham decided to try to lure them with their favourite bangers.
They set up a barbecue near the spot where Charlie and Theo, who are father and son, vanished and shouted the dogs’ names.
To their amazement, a short time later the dogs appeared through the trees, leading to an emotional reunion.
Liz, 49, from nearby Cockermouth, said: “When they first appeared it was like a mirage. I could not believe it was them.
“My husband ran up the hill to grab them as I was just shaking and crying. I could not function.
“The dogs are just gorgeous, and they are part of our family. It would be horrible not to have them around.
“They absolutely love sausages. They have them every Sunday for breakfast, so if there was one food they were going to come back for, it was sausages.”
Liz and Graham’s son John was walking Charlie, aged seven, and Theo, aged 15 months, on top Red Pike fell on June 16.
The weather turned at lunchtime and a thick mist rolled in, causing the 21-year-old to lose sight of the dogs.
He rang his mum straight away to let her know what had happened, and they immediately started to form a rescue party.
Liz said: “I was beside myself when John called. The dogs walk off lead when there is no livestock around and are used to being on the fells.
“It was a horrible phone call. We called our family and messaged friends and put out an appeal for people to look out for them on Facebook and Twitter.
“I also have a few friends who are part of mountain rescue groups so I asked if they could keep their eyes peeled if they were called out to a rescue.”
Liz and Graham spent the first night camping on the fell and calling the dogs’ names trying to get them to come back.
They then spent the next few days over Father’s Day weekend hiking all around the area in hot weather trying to find them.
On the morning of June 19, Mark Steel, a GP and member of Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team, said the dogs were likely on the other side of the fell, near Gillerthwaite.
Together they hatched a plan to get the dogs back, and started barbecuing sausages.
Liz said: “It was great to see them appear through the trees.”
“They were thin, and they smelled, but thankfully they’d kept themselves hydrated in the heat.
“We took them to the vets the next day and they were given a clean bill of health.”
She added: “My son is in the navy and we rang him first to tell him. A huge cheer went up on his ship.
“Charlie and Theo are actually dad and son so we’re now joking they had a Father’s Day weekend.
“And they’ve told us nothing about what happened. I guess what goes on tour, stays on tour.”
20 Pairs of People Who Made Us Believe That Time Travel Is Already Possible
Although each person is born with a unique set of genes, when kids are born, it’s impossible to avoid conversations about who they look the most like. And some people are lucky enough to find resemblances to their older ancestors, like a bolt from the blue. With children looking like an exact copy of their parents and grandparents, we’re almost ready to believe that it’s a result of some kind of reincarnation or wizardry.
And while scientists are still scratching their heads about our genes, we at Bright Side simply can’t help but wonder about what miracles nature is really capable of.
1. Princess Diana and her grandmother, Cynthia, made us wonder whether time travel already exists.
2. “A side by side of my 3x great-grandmother and my mother”
3. “I think I might be a clone and no one told me.”
4. This family’s genes are so strong.
5. “My dad and me, 1980 vs 2020”
6. “This is me in the mid-’90s and my son in 2020, not quite the same pose, but I like seeing the similarities!”
7. “My grandmother (1940) and me (2005) — I feel grateful to carry on her lovely genes.”
8. “I think it’s fun to look at my dad at 12 vs me at 12.”
9. “Me vs my mom’s yearbook photo (1977)”
10. “My son at a year old in 2004 and his great-great-grandfather at the same age in 1882”
11. “My whole life people have told me I look just like my mom when she was my age. I never saw it until I found this old picture of my mom.”
12. Nature’s miracles with genes will never cease to amaze us.
13. “My dad and me, both at the age of 14”
14. “Found this old picture of my great-grandma. I was amazed at how much I look like her!”
15. This mom and daughter look almost identical.
16. Seems like sometimes nature works like a 3D printer.
17. This granddaughter has features similar to her grandmother, and they both look so beautiful.
18. “My ancestor from the 1700s next to my dad — apparently my family’s looks haven’t changed much.”
19. “My dad’s mother and me, 70 years apart”
20. This bright smile passed through at least 2 generations.
Bonus: Princess Charlotte and Queen Elizabeth might not look alike, but the princess is surely the queen’s mini-me.
Have you seen this kind of resemblance in real life? Do you know any relatives that look like you?
Preview photo credit JUSTIN TALLIS /AFP / Getty Images, Max Mumby/Indigo / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
Leave a Reply