John and Julie Pearson went on a 10-day vacation in Turkey in June. They left their 13-year-old Border Collie Fred with a babysitter back home in Staffordshire. They thought he would be safe while they were away, but things quickly took a turn for the worse.
On the fourth day of the couple’s vacation, the dog sitter called to inform them that Fred was missing. They panicked and canceled the rest of their vacation in search of their beloved dog. But the more they talked to the babysitter, the more things didn’t add up.
Timeline is not clear
Before the babysitter said Fred and his wife were missing, she texted them at 12:36pm UK time to say Fred had diarrhea. However, she later said she was stranded in the river with three dogs at the time. But if she took the dogs out of the river, she wouldn’t text them about Fred’s digestive problems at the same time.
“We knew Fred didn’t like water so I couldn’t see him go into the water on his own,” John said. “She said he went out on his own, she took three guide dogs, and said they all went into the river.”
One woman who helped a keeper get the dogs out of the water said she doesn’t remember seeing a dog that matched Fred’s description. So Fred may have been missing before the watchman crossed the river.
According to the couple, the babysitter left the river at 12:59 p.m. and there is no evidence that she looked for Fred after that. It was Julie and John who called the police and reported Fred missing, not the babysitter.
Fred is still missing
Julie and John don’t know exactly what happened, but they know something is wrong. More than two months have passed, Fred is still missing without a trace. The dog was already wearing a collar with his tag when they gave it to the sitter, so it’s unusual that no one has called yet.
“There was a phone number on his collar but we didn’t have any calls. [The sitter] says it may have happened when she dragged him out but first she said he was out alone. She always changes her story,” John said.
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The couple say that Fred is very friendly with people, so if he went missing, he would approach someone right now. So there’s a chance he was stolen by the custodian or someone found him.
Fred was last seen at Westbridge Park in Stone, England. You can view updates and report sightings at “Did you see Fred” Facebook group.
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