George waits at the bus stop.
Inset: Amity Hartnett-Campbell.
Posted on 07/29/2003 4:13:56 PM PDT by yankeedame
Ritual breaks dog's heart
By Alex Divine, Rural Reporter July 30, 2003
AT 3.30pm each day George wanders a kilometre from home in search of a miracle.
The loyal jack russell terrier waits at the bus stop where he used to meet his owner Amity Hartnett-Campbell after school, before making the return trip alone.
The sad daily journey has become a ritual for the grieving pet since Amity was killed in a car crash four months ago.
"George has never gone this far from home on his own before," Amity's mother Kim Hartnett said yesterday.
"He must be looking for her.
"Since the accident he's gone off his food. He used to be a little guts.
"He spends most of his time curled up in Amity's lounge.
"He seems to be going through the same things I am."
George's grief follows the terrible accident which claimed the teenager's life on March 29.
Ms Harnett and Amity were driving back from visiting Amity's grandmother in Bathurst when their car skidded off the road and rolled down a 15m embankment.
Ms Hartnett recovered consciousness to discover she had been thrown into the back of the vehicle and the left side of her body was crushed.
Amity was motionless, pinned in the passenger seat, and her mother couldn't reach her.
Ms Hartnett phoned triple 0 on her mobile phone.
"I said 'I've have an accident, and I think my daughter is dead,"' Ms Hartnett recalled.
"The operator said 'stay on the line' but I couldn't stay on because my battery was flat."
More than two hours later ambulance workers found Ms Hartnett collapsed by the side of the road – where she had crawled to try and get help for her daughter.
Amity was found dead at the scene.
Ms Harnett said Amity was different from other teenagers her age.
She said her daughter was mature and would often provide schoolfriends with a shoulder to cry on when the teenagers had problems they didn't to go to their parents with.
"A lot of people depended on her, she could always empathise," Ms Hartnett said.
Ms Harnett said George had adored Amity for the past 10 years.
"George was just a pup when Amity got him," Ms Harnett said.
"He ran to her from a cluster of newborn puppies as soon as he saw her.
"Georgie picked Amity, his heart belongs to her."
People in Wellington who have heard about the grieving George have been touched by the dog's sad tale.
Several have asked if Ms Hartnett would like to give the jack russell another home.
But Ms Harnett's answer is always a firm no.
"He's my baby's dog," Ms Harnett said.
"He's not going anywhere. He gets love in truckloads because we can't give it to her any more."
The Daily Telegraph
It doesn't look like it to me.
That dog likes TnA
Spend less time with the 'occasional frog' and more time with the other pets.
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