The Australian Women's Weekly

The pet detective

When his dog no one to comfort him . It was the had recommended another sitter. vanished, worst thing that could happen to “my Matthew had first contacted this sitter Matthew wingman, my best mate.” in March. There were months of Walton was Matthew was on a long-awaited, conversations but they didn’t get on the other carefully planned trip with his wife to meet until October. He did his side of the and two teenage children. “It was a due diligence. He took Patch to her world. All month over in the United Kingdom – house on Sydney’s leafy North Shore. he knew was that his deaf, 13-year-old white Christmas in a castle in Scotland.” “We looked at the house and the labradoodle, Patch, was lost in virgin The call had come on the second fencing and the gate and the inside bush in a state forest. A place he had day in London. “I’m sorry,” said the and outside, and that’s what I thought never been before. And not gentle pet sitter, “he’s gone.” we were buying. It was secure, she bush – a hostile wilderness full of “It was incredibly distressing,” came with two references. There were snakes, wild pigs and wild dogs. Matthew recalls. “It’s almost like time no red flags.”

“Your mind just goes to the worst stood still. It was early morning in the Now Matthew was being told the pet place,” Matthew recalls. “And Patch UK. What do you do? That day, the sitter had taken Patch to a remote

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