Lily’s success story February 2022

That day there was one sighting only then a few days later she was sighted near home. A humane trap, remote cameras and a scent trail was done leading from her sighting in the cemetery to home. Sadly she did not appear.

We contacted Southern Cemetery Allotments and gained permission to access the allotments and put remote cameras and feed stations in there. Again, there was no sign of her for the week that the cameras were there. We also didn’t get any sightings at all for a week.

Then, a few days later she was sighted on Longford Park in Stretford. Posters had already been placed there but had been removed so we went and put more posters up, feed stations and remote cameras (all the posters were again removed including those on Ryebank Rd where the entrance is to the park near to Ryebank Fields Community Camp ). Lily did not show herself again after that sighting for another week where she was then seen in Chorlton-cum-Hardy.

Again feed stations and remote cameras where placed but the following day she was sighted and sadly chased. Someone tried to grab her. We lost her.

A week later we had a reported sighting of Lily on Sale Water Park. She had been on the motorway (M60) running down the slip road. She again was chased where this forced her into the traffic lanes. Thankfully after a few near misses she managed to get off the motorway. Again, posters, feed stations and remote cameras were placed around Sale Water Park. The same thing happened again and there was no sightings for a few days then a sighting came in where she was seen on Claude Rd.

Feed stations and cameras were again placed strategically (we suspected she was using the brook and this was why sightings were so minimal as she was managing to get around via this brook where people couldn’t get to (it runs in the middle of houses and has no access to the public).

Then the breakthrough came yesterday that we so desperately needed! She was sighted again on Claude Rd in a garden. A feed station, remote cameras and scent trails were done and Lily appeared on camera feeding one hour after these were placed.

On Monday 21 February, a humane trap was set and exactly 3 weeks since Lily managed to escape, she entered the trap. She was very thin, having lost a lot of weight but otherwise seemed well.  It was a very happy heart-warming (and emotional) reunion for Lily’s family and Lily was ecstatic to see her family.

After surviving very busy main roads, the motorway, trams (we believed she was also using the tram lines), a deep fast flowing brook with steep banks and no footpaths, Storm Dudley, Storm Eunice and Storm Franklin, this little survivor is safely home back with her family and fast asleep . Nicole Martin you have been absolutely amazing with your determination and hard work with getting those posters up over such a huge area. You and Artie have been brilliant to work with and followed all advice. Thank you for putting your faith in us. Lily has such a fantastic family and is one very lucky girl.

There are many people to thank for all their help and accommodating us trooping all over their gardens and putting up with the hundreds of posters out there. Debi Fellone for printing posters, Sue Weller for printing and laminating posters, Craig for delivering them twice, Lilly Jane for printing posters and delivering them, Helen Baker Williams and Fay Baker Williams for videoing the area that day for me, Southern Cemetery Allotments, Sale Water Park for allowing posters to stay up in the park, all the residents in all the other areas which were swamped with posters, Gemma, who not only allowed us to put a remote camera and feed station in her garden, but also put fresh food down every night for two weeks, the people who reported the sightings, the lady on Claude Rd (so sorry I don’t know your name) for reporting that special sighting that started the process of trapping Lily, and Sonia and partner (again I’m sorry I don’t know your name) for allowing us access to their garden, remote cameras and a feed station to be placed and today the humane trap. Thank you to everyone who reported the sightings, and those that did as we advised with completely ignoring Lily when seen but contacting us, and those that shared the social media posts. Without all of this Lily wouldn’t be safely home now. Thank you to the people of Chorlton .

This has been a particularly emotional and physical time for the team and of course Lily’s family. For one tiny little dog, smaller than a cat, she is one survivor with the attitude of a warrior!