BY CATHERINE COOK
If you bought two Boxer dogs from a farmer in County Antrim at the end of September, then there are two heartbroken children desperate to find out their whereabouts.
Last Friday, Steve McGreevy from Newtownabbey contacted the Donegal News to ask for our help in locating his beloved dogs which he believes are in Donegal. Murphy is a six-and-a-half year-old Boxer, tan and white in colour with a white chest, face and socks Roxy is one-and-a-half tan, with a black face and a white chest.
Explaining the background to the story, Steve said: "Earlier this year I had to go abroad for a few months because of work. I wasn't able to take the family pets with me so I passed them on to a farmer who said he would look after them until I got back. I told him that if he had any problems or couldn't look after them then he should contact me immediately."
The farmer in question, however, lost Mr McGreevy's phone number and when Steve returned in recent weeks to pick up his dogs the farmer had given them away.
"The farmer told me he had to get rid of them because they were escaping onto other people's land and he said he wasn't able to control them. I'm now growing quite concerned because this is not like our dogs at all. They were the most loveable, dopey things and it wouldn't be like them to be troublesome."
"The farmer told us that he had given the dogs to an antique dealer from Inishowen but he wasn't able to give me any more information and told me he had lost the person's phone number. He hasn't been very helpful and we're really worried about the dogs now."
Mr McGreevy continued: "To be honest when I went back to the farm I was quite disturbed about the condition the animals were kept in. There were pens two dogs which were a Pitbull and Rotweiler cross, and others with Bull Mastiffs in."
With Christmas only round the corner, Steve explained that what his two children, Daniel(10) and Rhys (7), want more than anything else is to see the dogs.
"We are not looking for whoever has the dogs now to give them back to us, all we want is to see them. The children are heartbroken, and to be honest they didn't talk to me for two months after I gave the dogs away. We all miss them terribly and just want to see them and know that they are OK."
If you are the antiques dealer from Inishowen or know of the whereabouts of the two Boxers then you can contact Steve on 00447835603346 or 04890 96692.
