we thought we'd lost her...

truly - the worst afternoon of my life

we took the two of them down to the beach, we thought they'd like it. I turned out it was blowing a gale and freezing, the waves were HUGE! and the tide was going out...

Richard went down to the water's edge by a groyne and the dogs went with him; I walked away across to the other groyne, it must have taken about 20 seconds, but when I turned back she had gone...

Richard wasn't looking and didn't see her go, where was she?

we spent about half an hour going up and down, calling her, I nearly drowned Murphy walking along the top of the groyne to into the sea, he followed me on the beach til he was having to swim and the sea was so rough..... Richard went up the top and looked on the road and the other sections of the beach.. nothing

we had to assume she had been caught up and swept out to sea.. I broke my heart (cue wading into the sea, kneeling on the beach, tears) ... how could this happen? how could we do this?

eventually we went back home, just frozen, in shock. the 3 of us - me, richard and murphy.

When we got home Richard looked at his mobile (which had been charging at home) -

- and there was a phonecall! From someone called Matthew! Who had found her! (alive and well, if very tired and cold)

What had happened?

It turned out in that 20 seconds we weren't watching she had taken off and followed two joggers - about 2 miles all the way down the beach to the other end.

They didn't know what to do with her but this Matthew has 2 spaniels of his own (although not currnetly staying with him as he's renting) so took her in, watered her and dried her ... and when we got there she was asleep on the sofa, cosy as you like.

We're not going anywhere near the beach, ever again!