WENDELL HUSSEY | Cadet | Contact
Recently, Betoota locals have become aware of the Davidson family’s missing dog, Coco, through a series of ‘Lost’ posters that have blanketed the town. At 19 years old, Coco is a beloved Betoota personality whose disappearance has upset many of the locals.
However, for Coco’s owner Hugh Davidson (35) the topic of their lost dog is one he’d sheepishly rather not discuss.
“The kid’s made the posters, I couldn’t say no…”
Last week, Davidson took the 19-year-old fox terrier to the vet to have her humanely put down and save it the suffering of the 27 types of cancer she was succumbing too.
“How do you explain that to a kid? I thought it would be easier to say she ran away but now I think it’s gone too far.”
Since the Davidson kids taped their ‘Lost Dog’ posters to every telegraph pole in Betoota, many locals have offered the family their support, some have even gone looking Coco in order to claim the $1000 reward.
“Yeah, I set it at $1000. What does it matter? Don’t tell the kids but there’s no reward in the world that’s gonna bring Coco back.”
Davidson’s wife, Lorna Davidson (33) says it’s only a matter of time before the kids figure out the truth.
“Coco was 19 years old which is 133 in dog years. She was deaf and basically couldn’t see a thing. Surely the idea that she is out roaming the streets waiting to run under the wheels of a semi-trailer would be scarier for the kids?”
According to Lorna Davidson, her husband has made this type of mistake before and worries how her husband is planning to eventually deal with the situation. For now, Hugh Davidson hopes it will work itself out.
“They won’t be young forever, soon they’ll realise they put these posters up for nothing. Maybe I’ll chuck it in when they realise Santa isn’t real.”
