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It is every dog owners worst nightmare: your beloved pet slips the lead and disappears while out on a walk in the countryside.
But that is exactly what happened on Wednesday, 8 January, when Nelson the dachshund dashed off into the frozen undergrowth on Longridge Fell and sparked a frantic search by owner Samantha Lindsay-Corbett and her husband, Jon.
What happened over the next 22 hours is not only a remarkable tale of survival for Nelson amidst the snow and freezing temperatures, but also one of community togetherness and support as the village of Ribchester stepped up in the search for Sam and Jon’s much-loved pet.
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Sam said that after Nelson went missing at midday on Wednesday she searched the area off Old Clitheroe Road, where he went missing, for several hours but there was no sign of him.
By this point, and with the winter light beginning to fade by about 3pm, she posted on the Your Ribchester Facebook page to say her dog was missing and whether anyone had a pair of thermal binoculars that could aid her search.
“Once I posted that message then everyone started phoning Jon,” said Sam. “And then people started arriving on the fell to help look for Nelson. First came our neighbours Linda and Craig Jackson and Holby Lewis, then Dave Glen and Andy Welsh, followed by Tom Jones and Jason Robinson, who all started searching for him.
“By this time it was pitch black and I was essentially beside myself with panic, but, and I don’t know why, in my gut I knew Nelson was still alive and nearby.”
With the search party covering miles of frozen ground, another Ribchester resident, Barrie Lofthouse, turned up with night-vision binoculars and they scored the area looking for Nelson.
But with temperatures set to fall to -10degC, Sam and Jon reluctantly called an end to proceedings and returned home to Ribchester for a nervous night of waiting.
Then, however, came a sighting.
“By 8.30pm we were back onto Huntingdon Hall Lane, not far from where he disappeared, and Jason, Tom and Tom’s wife Jen joined us as we looked for Nelson,” recalled Sam. “A wonderful lady called Cheryl also joined us and it was like something from a movie as the moonlight shone and we searched high and low.”
By 11pm, however, Nelson was still nowhere to be seen and Sam and Jon returned once again to Ribchester for a sleepless night.
When they returned to Old Clitheroe Road, which runs along the south side of Longridge Fell, the next morning, the original search party also returned and were joined by new helpers in the form of a local farmer called Josh, as well as Phoebe and Kylie from doggie day care company Poochie Paradise, who had looked after Nelson when Sam and Jon got married last year.
At 8.45am Sam had another call to say Nelson had been spotted near to where he went missing off the forestry tracks on Longridge Fell, but this time he had bolted into a nearby field.
“We were searching the field when Phoebe and Kylie shouted over to me that they had found him. This was about 10am,” said Sam. “I started making my way towards them and Kylie had him in her arms as she walked through the snow.
“When I finally saw him I was just a complete mess and Nelson was kissing everyone and was so pleased to see us. We could tell he had lost weight and was trembling and whimpering.”
And for both Sam and Jon, the way the Ribchester and wider rural community came together to support them was ‘truly humbling’.
Sam added: “It was overwhelming how kind people have been. More people would have helped if the conditions hadn’t been as treacherous, but those that did help in the search for Nelson were just incredible.
“The community spirit I have witnessed in this village is something I have never seen before. It’s not only about those who helped look for Nelson, but those who sent messages of support, offered other help or simply shared the Facebook posts. It was incredible.”
Sam and Jon were also provided support by dog rescue firm Drone to Home and Lancashire Lost Dog Network, with their support also being vital throughout the search.
Nelson, thankfully, is making a full recovery back at home.
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