Whale trips and alpaca walks offered to help find Cooper

A CLONAKILTY family whose pet dog was stolen almost five months ago from their home have said they are overwhelmed by the public response to their appeal to find him.

A cross between a collie and a huskey, Cooper was snatched from the Coleman home in Kilgarriffe on May 25th and despite an intense social media campaign, including the launch of a Bring Cooper Home blog, there has been no sighting of him.

There has been a marked increase in animal thefts in West Cork and particularly dogs since the first lockdown as demand for dogs soared.

Speaking to The Southern Star, Debbie Coleman said that they are still hopeful they will get Cooper back and they have his lead and bed waiting for him.

‘We won’t give up and we will keep trying to find him and we all miss him hugely. I must say that people here and abroad are being brilliant and they have blown me away with their kindness. We’ve had people from England, Wales and Scotland contacting us to tell us they are sharing the blog posts in their areas too and it’s amazing the love they have for animals,’ said Debbie.

‘I am hoping that a family has him and that he’s being well looked after at least.’

Local business owners including David Edwards of West Cork Charters is offering a free day out on his boat for whale watching in 2021 to anyone who can provide information that helps bring Cooper home. Waterfall Alpaca Walks are offering a free Alpaca Walk, while Matthew O’Donovan from Newcestown is offering 50 bags of firewood and 20 bags of kindling.

Crime prevention officer Sgt James O’Donovan said that the number of dog thefts being reported in West Cork has dropped significantly compared to the first lockdown.

‘This can be attributed to the fact that people are taking more measures to secure their pets and chipping them. Also there is a lot more awareness about thefts and people are reporting suspicious vehicles to gardaí. If your pet has been stolen we would ask to contact us immediately.’