Stevie Ross, 66, was out walking Ollie at Mill Farm in Livingston on Saturday when he suddenly slipped down an embankment and into the high water of the River Almond.
A father and son have been left heartbroken after their dog was swept away in a fast-moving river – but the pair are continuing their determined search following a potential sighting.
Stevie Ross, 66, was out walking Ollie at Mill Farm in Livingston on Saturday, March 14, when he suddenly slipped down an embankment and into the high water of the River Almond. The 15-year-old springer spaniel is completely deaf, has a weak back leg, and is showing signs of early-onset dementia – and, nearly a week later, the dad is fearing the worst.
Stevie and son Corey, 24, have been out daily looking for him and the pair have even bought a drone to search further afield. Stevie told Edinburgh Live: “He fell down an embankment into the water, which was quite high. Because he’s 15 now and got a weak back leg, he’s not the strongest swimmer. I couldn’t get to him because of all the foliage and trees, and he just disappeared in seconds.”
“I’m devastated, because he’s my best friend. He gets all my problems. I tell him when I come home at night what I’ve been doing and talk to him constantly. Him and Corey are also inseparable. We’ve had him since Corey was 10, so he’s absolutely heartbroken as well.”
The pair have had support from Muzzle Mutts, a volunteer search crew for lost dogs, who arranged for a tracker dog, drones and thermal imaging cameras to search areas around the river, which eventually runs into the Firth of Forth at Cramond.
Stevie added: “Our feeling is he’s possibly got out of the river and he’s wandering about goodness knows where. We’ve been up and down the river, in the water with waders. We need to find him.
“I’ve got to the point now that even if I found his wee body, at least I’d have some closure. But I’m hoping that’s not the case, we’re not giving up. We had a sighting near Blackburn last night, so we’ve been out there today. We had another one as well not long after he went in, and were fairly sure it was him, but we couldn’t find him.”
Ollie is described as a black-and-white springer spaniel. He was wearing a black harness with white reflective strips and a label reading “Security”. Stevie has warned people not to approach him in case he becomes frightened – instead advised them to contact the “Hazel Muzzle Mutts” page via Facebook.
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