Last Updated: Friday, 12 March, 2004
A man whose dog was inside his caravan when it disappeared took the skies in Essex to search for his lost pet.
After six days of searching he hired a helicopter from Southend to comb the county at £250 an hour and spotted the caravan after 40 minutes in the air.
His dog, Morgan, was found along with the caravan at a travellers' site in Rettendon. A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of theft.
Mr Hardy, 35, who has been living in the van while he worked away from his Leeds home, said he was close to despair after almost a week of fruitless searching for six-year-old Morgan.
“ There are about three million caravans in Essex and it was going to be a tall order ” said Duncan Bickley
He had tried the police, vets and dog kennels.
Hiring the helicopter was a desperate last resort in his hunt for missing Morgan, who he has owned from a 12-week-old puppy.
"That was the final thing I could do for my dog, I was so devoted to her," he said.
The helicopter charter company staff did not want to raise his hopes.
"Spotting a dog from 500ft is very, very slim indeed," said Duncan Bickley, of Direct Helicopters.
"I thought we might have a chance of finding the caravan, but there are about three million caravans in Essex and it was going to be a tall order."
Mr Hardy added: "There was a blind in the back of the caravan and it was ripped, I just spotted that curtain so I recognised it was my caravan."
He was relieved when he spotted his caravan but delighted when, after calling police, he was reunited with Morgan, who was found in a nearby shed.
"She has been by my side since she was a puppy and she was part of the family. It's excellent. I'm overjoyed," Mr Hardy said.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/essex/3506574.stm
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