People across South Bristol and North Somerset are being asked to keep a look out for a five-year-old dog called Barney, who has gone missing in a desperate eight-mile mission to get home.
Barney’s owner Chris LeVaillant runs the Budgens store and Shell Garage on the A38 on the way to Bristol Airport in Winford, and the labradoodle was with him at the garage last Wednesday, December 14, when Chris accosted a shoplifter. Barney got spooked by the altercation and ran off down the A38 towards Bristol at around 4pm, and was spotted in the fields later that day around Yew Tree Farm, on the Bridgwater Road on the edge of Bristol.
There have been sightings of Barney since, including near Whitchurch and one on Wednesday this week in the fields on Dundry Hill, and Chris and his wife Julie believe he’s exploring the fields trying to work out which way is home. The trouble is, home for Barney is eight miles away across the countryside in Bishop Sutton, on the edge of Chew Valley Lake.
Read next: Bristol Animal Rescue Centre flooded as burst pipe sparks havoc
Now, a massive public appeal has been launched asking people to help look for Barney, or report sightings to Chris and Julie in the Whitchurch, Dundry, Hartcliffe, Hengrove and Chew Valley areas. “He was at work with Chris, and Chris had to apprehend someone who was stealing from the Budgens shop,” said Julie. “He got spooked in all the commotion and ran off and it’s been eight days now.
“We had sightings of him down by Yew Tree Farm on the edge of Bristol for those first couple of days, then over by Whitchurch and the most recent one was up in Dundry, so we think he’s running around the fields. The problem is he’s trying to find home but he’s got no recognisable scent, so I’m going up there laying trails that hopefully he might find.
“It’s the not knowing that’s the worst. Hopefully we’ll get him and he’ll be back in time for Christmas. It’ll be a Christmas miracle.”
Daughter-in-law Jasmine Williams has set up a Facebook group to co-ordinate and report sightings. “We’d just like everyone in the area to be on the lookout for any sightings of him and to get in contact with us if they do see him,” she said.
“We’d also like people to have a look through any video they may have over the last few days since he disappeared to see if he went past their house as we would like to build a timeline for us to work with.
“We believe there may have been a sighting in Dundry of a dog matching barneys description but it was dark and without a photo difficult to positively identify if it was him,” she added.
- If anyone sees Barney, has seen him or can help, please visit the 'Let's Get Barney Home' Facebook page here, or contact 07799622707.
Read next:
The 20 South Bristol areas where homes are being built - or are about to
South Bristol's GPs and schools won't cope with 12,000 new homes claims MP
Developers unveil plans for 555 new homes on edge of Bristol
Actor Joe Sims and mayor Marvin Rees first to recycle at new South Bristol centre
To keep up-to-date with the latest South Bristol news, join our community of subscribers with my South Bristol newsletter here.
