Latest - Newfoundland Baloo: Distraught owners ask public to help piece together the final hours of 70kg pet as they wait for post mortem results to be released
The owners of much-loved Newfoundland Baloo have appealed for the public to help piece together the final hours of their beloved ‘gentle giant’ as they wait for the post mortem results to be released by Mid and East Antrim Council.
The ‘appeal for information’ posted on the Baloo Newfoundland social media page – set up after the tragic dog went missing from its Ballymena home – says: “*APPEAL FOR INFORMATION*
"While we await the post mortem results and advice regarding our next steps, we appeal for anyone who has any information about Baloo's disappearance and/or death to contact us directly, the Mid and East Antrim Animal Welfare team or the PSNI (ref 1400 01/08/24).
"Somebody must have seen or heard something!
"Baloo disappeared from our garden two weeks ago tonight.
"While we no longer search for Baloo, we still have no answers as to how he ended up dead in undergrowth in a housing estate he had never ever been to.
"It makes absolutely no sense for him to have been there and to have got there unnoticed.
"Please, if anyone has any information, contact us.”
Baloo’s owners were plunged into despair earlier this month when the ‘gentle giant’ was found dead in Ballymena – adding they were left with “lots of unanswered questions”.
In a statement, issued on August 12 a Mid and East Antrim Council spokesperson said: “Baloo’s remains were sent for a post mortem last week by Council - the outcome of the post mortem is not yet available.”
After the family pet was found dead, his family issued a statement expressing their upset.
In a statement published on Sunday night (August 11) on social media, the family said: “We were devastated to find out on Thursday afternoon that Baloo had been found dead.
“We really had hoped we would get him back home safely.
"Since he joined our family seven years ago he took up more space in our hearts and our home with each day that passed.
"He was a big boisterous and friendly boy who was full of fun and loved attention. He made sure that anyone who met him never forgot him.
"We have been really overwhelmed by the love and support our family and Baloo have been shown both online and in our home town.
"It really is appreciated and we want to thank everyone for all their efforts to try and find Baloo.
"While we have closure now that Baloo has been found, we still have lots of unanswered questions.
"We are being assisted by the Mid and East Antrim Animal Welfare team to try and figure out what happened.
"We will miss him always. He was an absolute champion”.
After being missing for seven days from his Ballymena home, much-loved Baloo, a seven-year-old Newfoundland was discovered dead on Thursday 8 August.
Last week a spokesman for Mid and East Antrim Borough Council said: “Council’s Enforcement Officers sadly found Baloo’s remains today in Ballymena and are currently liaising with the family.”
Prior to the sad news, mother-of-four Caoimhe Goodall, a pharmacist, said she could not believe her 70kg pet was ‘missing one whole week without one positive sighting’.
A statement released last night on social media says: “***STILL MISSING - DAY 7***
"Baloo went missing from our garden one week ago. There have been no sightings of him since.
"I walked Lilo and Baloo with the kids along the new link road by the Ecos on the evening of Wednesday 31/07/24.
"We returned home at approximately 9:45pm.
"We left the dogs in the back garden as usual and put the kids to bed and watched TV.
"When my husband went out to put the dogs in for the night just before 12:30am, Baloo was missing.
"We heard no barking or anything unusual.
"We searched for him until 2:30am.
"We hoped someone had taken him in for the night and we would get him back the following morning.”
The heartbreaking statement adds: “Baloo has never wandered or left Lilo before.
" This is completely out of character.
"Baloo is a 7yr old male black Newfoundland.
"He has black fur and weighs over 70kg.
"He has distinctive black markings on his tongue.
"He is usually friendly but we imagine he will be very unsettled away from our family and especially Lilo.
"We miss him desperately and really want him home.
"Please if you any information relating to Baloo, let us know.
"If you have Baloo, please leave him somewhere safe and alert someone to his location so we can get him home safely.
"Again, thank you so much to everyone who has shared posts, stopped with us to ask about Baloo or tried in any way to help us.
"We really do appreciate it all. We are very new to social media and learning as we go. Please keep the efforts up and help us find Baloo.”