Florence Bechelet and the case of the missing Corgi
There’s nothing worse for a dog owner than finding that your beloved dog has run away from home, except when something smells fishy about their disappearance. 92 year old Florence Bechelet returned home to Jersey recently to find that her corgi, Coral, had vanished – apparently having run away from home.
However, alarm bells started ringing when Florence heard how a dog matching Coral’s description had been bundled into a car by a woman using a walking stick. The game was now, most assuredly, afoot. Florence recognised the description of the woman as being her former carer, Betty Lansdown. Betty had just finished working for Florence after more than two years, and had been understood to have left Jersey, for England.
Some investigative work revealed however that Betty had not left Jersey on the day she had claimed, and had instead booked into a hotel room in order to launch her cunning plot to dog-snatch the corgi.
Florence Bechelet explained:
It was terrible. Betty had looked after me very well, I don’t have a bad thing to say about her in that respect. But I always thought she had more time for the dog than me.
Florence then discovered a forwarding address for her former aid, and handed it to the police. Investigating officers then found the missing corgi, safe and well with Betty Lansdown. The safe return of the dog cost Florence £658 however, which she hopes that Betty will pay:
I have sent Betty the bill. If she doesn’t pay it, I will have no option but to prosecute.
Betty Lansdown is insistent that she won’t pay the bill however, and shows no remorse for taking the dog:
I took Coral because she had nobody there to care for her. Florence did not know where Coral was most of the time. I don’t regret anything I did. I was very close to Coral and miss her very much.
But I think Florence has learned from having lost her once and I hope she’ll now take more care of her.
A spokesman for the police said they would not be charging Betty Lansdown for her actions.