At just 18 months family pet Rua had become a lifeline for her family, but now she is missing, leaving her owners distraught and desperate for news.
The golden labradoodle, joined the Bonnes family in Randalstown, as a puppy and quickly created new possibilities, especially for their son who has autism.
But life was thrown into chaos and fear with the disappearance of Rua on July 14. Now mum Ciarrai, a social worker, is co-ordinating searches with the help of friends and family and the team at Lost Paws NI, a charity that works specifically to help reunite lost and found pets throughout Northern Ireland.
Read more: Dog who escaped kennels reunited with family after a week on the run
It is thought hundreds of people are on alert for sightings of Rua, and the Lagan Search and Rescue’s flood team have already searched the River Maine and surrounding areas, but to date not a single sighting has been reported.
A substantial reward is on offer for information about her whereabouts, with a heartfelt plea from Rua’s family on their Find Rua Facebook page.
Ciarrai said: “We have just never experienced emotions like this before. Rua came to us as a young puppy and has been a very effective therapy dog for our son Sean Og who has autism.
"The difference in Sean Og and our entire family with her by our side has been remarkable. "Things have just been better, calmer and easier, thanks to this lovely dog. She instinctively knows when Sean Og is feeling a bit off, and she’s right by his side.
"When she is not involved in her gentle therapy, she’s simply a family dog, great fun, full of beans and fun. She is at the very heart of our family.
“Rua was out in the garden with my husband, Justin, on July 14 as he was mowing the grass and she slipped out of his sight for a second and by the time he cut the engine to look for her she had vanished.
“We scoured the place for her, but there was nothing. We couldn’t believe it. One minute she was there and the next she was gone. We started to think maybe she had been lifted, maybe she wandered off but it’s so unlikely. Our house is up a lane off the road and we ran everywhere looking for her moments after she vanished.
“We have tried every farmer in the area, we have asked the travelling community to let us know if they see her, we’ve put up posters, we have phoned everyone we know, driven to every house, searched every hedge and field.
"We even had the team from Lagan Search and Rescue on the River Maine, but so far not a single sighting. We have had drones up, we've put posters up, the team at Lost Paws NI have taken us on and we couldn't be more grateful.
“We are offering a substantial reward for Rua's return, we are desperate and we won’t take things any further as long as we get her back.
"Some people might not understand how a dog can be this important to us but she’s so much more than a dog, so much more than a pet. She’s Rua, she’s our best medicine every day, she helps us all and in particular she helps Sean Og deal with the challenges he faces in life with autism. As a family we have a family member missing.
"We just want to know what has happened to her and how to get her back home with us. She is just a young dog and doesn't know any other life than the one we've given her where she had been adored and looked after. We are missing her terribly and she will be missing us, in particular Sean Og.
"If you have had any sightings of Rua, if you have her, if you heard she was in a yard tied up after being found, even if you knocked her down on the road, please, please just let us know. We need to know, we need your help and we are willing to pay to have her back."
Rua vanished from the garden of the Bonnes family home on Magheralane Rd, Randalstown, Co Antrim on July 14, having never left the property alone before.
Ciarrai , 40, revealed that the family plea for help has attracted countless messages of support from all over the country. She said: "The best case scenario is that she is with someone who is not on social media and they are keeping her safe but they don't know we are looking for her. The worst case scenario doesn't bear thinking about. We just can't cope with it.
"If she has been stolen we need to make her too hot to handle. She is chipped and her details refer back to us and her home. Please help us if you can no matter where you are.
"Rua is just 18 months and the middle of our three family dogs. We have Buster, who is two and golden labradoodle and also Guinness, who is one and a black labradoodle.
"Our children, Cara and Katie, 17, Sean Og, 14 and Sam, 12, myself and my husband send out thanks and love to everyone doing what they can to support us.
"I've been told I'm going to have to pull myself together because we are all so distraught, but it's impossible. We brought Rua into our family as a family member, we love her and need her and we have the ultimate responsibility for her, just like a child. We need her back, we need help."
If you have any information about Rua, please contact Find Rua or LostPawsNI, email jilly.beattie@reachplc.com or call 07889036735, or 07702307564
Read next:
To get the latest dog news straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter
