Elderly pet dog Roxy pictured nearly eight months after she went missing from home

A tough little terrier who went missing on Christmas Eve is believed to have been caught on camera living rough nearly eight months after she disappeared.

Thirteen-year-old Roxy was pictured prowling for food by night vision, camera set up by a wildlife lover who passed the picture on to her owner.

Jo Dalton, 26, can hardly believe that her beloved elderly pet appears to have survived the freezing cold winter and baking hot summer while living outdoors.

Jo, Monty and Roxy, taken from her Facebook page with permission

Now she and her mother Carol Linge, 58 are hoping to have deaf Roxy home in Nympsfield in plenty of time for next Christmas.

“I’ve not seen her since Christmas so it was just lovely to get a glimpse of her seven and a half months down the line,” said Jo.

“We have never given up hope or stopped looking for her, so it was absolutely amazing to see her.

“As soon as I saw the picture, I thought ‘That’s Roxy’. We’ve seen plenty of badgers, foxes, muntjac and other dogs, this is the first time we’ve seen an image that we are pretty damn sure is Roxy. You can tell by the conformation and tail.

“Terriers are known for being tough little things but it’s incredible to think we’ve had one of the coldest winters for years, followed by one of the hottest summers, and she’s out there soldiering on in all this crazy weather.

“I’m over the moon and it’s given everyone the uplifting boost we needed.”

Hundreds have been following the hunt for Roxy who escaped with their other dog Monty when someone delivering a Christmas card left the gate open.

Monty was discovered near the B4066, between Woodchester Park and Coaley Peak, which is around half a mile from the family home, in early January.

The family and their supporters sent out drones and search parties and set up feeding stations and wildlife cameras across the area, but Roxy was never found.

Roxy the terrier (Image: Jo Dalton)

Many wondered if an elderly dog could survive the snow earlier this year but Jo never gave up and says the support of all those who helped the family kept her going.

She told supporters in June: “Six months down the line now and I know for many it may seem totally barmy that our 13 year old deaf little Roxy dog is still around but believe me, she is.

“Against all odds she is surviving and until we know otherwise, we won’t give up.”

However the trail went cold after she was last spotted near Uley on June 26 and on Monday August 6 an upset Jo wrote: “Regrettably we still have no recent sightings or information about Roxy, her whereabouts or how she’s faring.

“With each day and week that passes, it somehow gets even harder to handle.

“The not knowing and uncertainty is truly unbearable…Consumed with worry, our lives just feel empty and incomplete without our quirky stubborn pup.”

Days later a supporter showed her the footage from the wildife camera and she posted ‘Missing dogs: Monty and Roxy, GL10’ : “After weeks and weeks of no news and plenty of sobbing, it looks like maybe some good news at last…

“One of the local wildlife cameras was triggered but this time not by wildlife.. although blurry, based on conformation and tail, we are really quite confident that this is Roxy!!

“Had to share with you all as I’m sure you’re needing just as much of a boost as us! It’s by no means over yet but we’re over the moon that it appears our pooch is still surviving.”

Jo is not divulging where the photograph was taken because Roxy must have gone feral to survive and she will need to take the next few stages slow and sure to make sure she is not frightened away.

“It’s not over yet and we have to be very patient,” she said. “She will be very easily spooked so one wrong move could set us right back to the start.”

Source: https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/elderly-pet-dog-roxy-pictured-1887502