One element of her odd disappearing that has actually captured lots of people’s attention is the behaviour of her spaniel Willow. Nicola was walking Willow on a path near the River Wyre in St Michael’s, Lancashire, at the time she went missing out on.
She had earlier dropped her kids off at school and products such as Willow’s harness and lead and Nicola’s phone were discovered on a bench on the bank of the river. Willow had actually been discovered, ‘bone dry’, running in between the bench and a gate to a close-by field in spite of the working theory that Nicola fell under the river.
Read More: Nicola Bulley search – Latest updates as partner Paul Ansell says he will never give up hope
The Daily Star reports that authorities have actually recuperated absolutely nothing from the river itself in spite of that being the main theory. Superintendent Sally Riley has formerly said it is ‘possible’ that an ‘problem’ with Willow might have led Nicola to the water’s edge.
Kimberly Freeman from City Sit Stay informed The Star: “I understand there’s some speculation regarding the dog remaining in distress in the water. They’re typically reproduced to swim rather well, a great deal of dogs can swim naturally however spaniels are particularly good swimmers, offered what they’re raised to do and reproduced to do.
“Because they are so faithful to their owners, if there was some sort of distress going on they would be extremely worried and most likely attempt and help as finest they can. If they weren’t able to, there would be a great deal of pacing around, vocalising too, and if there were other individuals around they would attempt to get that individual’s attention.”
Animal behaviour and training specialist Nina Bondarenko said that Willow’s pacing in between the bench and eviction was connected to the ‘flushing behaviour’ of spaniels. She discussed: “They’re reproduced for hunt and obtain, and they’re reproduced to eliminate video game, so they need to be extremely open to being managed at a range, they need to be responsive at a range.
“They were never ever reproduced as guard dogs. Some of the larger hunt and obtain types were however these were never ever, they were constantly simply jolly, extreme little working dogs, eliminating video game.”
As to why Willow hugged the bench, Nina said ‘the dog seems like it wasn’t sure what to do’ and most likely hugged a ‘familiar odor’. Jose Ros, from London Puppy Classes, said of spaniels: “It is a working breed. It is an extremely smart dog, an extremely happy dog, an extremely friendly dog.
“The dog – by genes – will delight in going from bush to bush flushing birds, that’s what they delight in doing a lot of.”
However, he said Willow’s behaviour was most likely connected to distress instead of anything to do with spaniels particularly. He discussed: “As for where the dog beings in this formula, if the dog was discovered pacing up and down, most likely the dog was simply nervous as the owner vanished. Unfortunately, the dog is unable to inform the authorities what occurred.”
He included whether a dog would delve into a body of water after its owner ‘would depend upon the private’ and ‘on whether the dog was trained’ to do so.
Read Next:
