Mum jumps into river to rescue ‘baby’ Dachshund that’d been missing for four days

A mum jumped into a river and waded through water to reach her dachshund after it had been missing for four days.

Mum-of-one Alifiya Mohamedbhai, 33, from Burnage was distraught to learn that her pet dog had gone missing while out on its regular walk with a dog-walker. Little Violet, a brown Dachshund was walking around Reddish Vale Country Park in Stockport when she suddenly vanished.

To make matters worse, Alifiya was then targeted by a scammer who claimed to have Violet and threatened to kill her precious pooch if she did not pay them £250. Officers are investigating after the mum agreed to meet the man to hand over the payment but no one turned up.

Alifiya said of the traumatic experience: “I had a call from a number telling me they had my dog, and when I told them she was spayed they said they didn’t want her anymore, but couldn’t have her back and that we needed to pay.”

She continued: “I had to sit in the bathroom for an hour and 40 minutes because he wanted to hear the extractor fan, and told me he would kill her if I didn’t.

“Police told me it had been a scam call and that the number and bank account was registered in Leicester. I was in such a vulnerable position and almost broke down.”

After many urgent appeals over social media and four days, Alifiya was beginning to lose hope of a reunion, saying: “We had no idea where she was. We spent eight hours looking for her and there were no sightings. Reddish Vale is huge, so she could’ve been anywhere.”

She went back to the nature spot where Violet’s Apple Air tag last showed her location before the battery began to drain.

Suddenly, Alifiya spotted her ‘baby’ hunched over in an embankment of the River Tame with her tail still wagging. Without a second thought, she jumped into the water and made her way through it to reach her ‘baby’ Dachshund, sparking an emotional reunion which was captured on camera.

A relieved Alifiya said: “It’s incredible. There isn’t a mark on her apart from a sore ear and paw. It is insane. She is such a quiet dog and was out on the same walk that she does every day, and has done for two-and-a-half years with my dog walker and best friend. 

“Nobody knows what spooked her or what happened – she doesn’t wander off to explore and always walks by your feet, but she must’ve turned and just walked off the other way. I really had been starting to lose hope. I wish I could see her memory of the last couple of days, find out what she was up to and know what spooked her.”