THE TRAGIC story of Charlie the Flatcoat Retriever captured the hearts of Observer readers back in January.
From the moment he went missing, the Coathup family were inundated with offers of help from the local community and further afield, to help track down their beloved puppy.
The search for Charlie, as we all know, ended in tragedy when his body was found by the railway track just outside Dorridge Station.
But the response in the following months has been ‘amazing’ – a fantastic tribute to Charlie’s memory.
A Flat Coat Retriever group on Facebook was so inspired by Charlie’s story that it set up a series of dog walks to commemorate him – and others like him – on the third Sunday of march each year.
The response was fantastic, with at least 19 walks taking place up and down the country – from Scotland to Cornwall – even in Alberta, Canada.
The Coathup family took part a walk in Worcester Woods where they were joined by over 30 ‘Flatties’ and their owners.
The Coathup family also set up a Justgiving page to raise money for the Flat Coated Retriever Rehoming Society.
The page finally closed on April 4, having raised an impressive £2,500 for the charity.
“We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone involved in the search for Charlie and the fundraising and walks since<” said the family, who are now the owners of a brand new, four-month-old Flatcoat Retriever called Murphy.
Turn to the letters page for a full thank you letter from the family and details of just how much the community pulled together in the search for Charlie.
