'She starts barking in a strange way': How a Belgian Malinois found a young mother who went missing in the Pyrenees
|According to her husband, Gosia could have slipped during the storm and lost consciousness (illustration). Unsplash – Bella
The physiotherapist, aged around thirty, in Vernet-les-Bains and mother of a little girl who will soon be barely two months old, was found this Wednesday, October 9, 2024 after 36 hours of disappearance thanks to a young Malinois dog walking in the area, but trained to search for people.
Gosia, a Polish physiotherapist who has lived in Vernet-les-Bains for over 10 years, has been found after a worrying disappearance. Her husband Bartosz explained that she had left their home on Monday evening during the storm at around 11:30 p.m., without giving any explanation, while he was taking a shower, reports l’Independant.
The search, carried out the next day by the police and relatives of the family, only came to fruition thanks to a resident of Vernet-les-Bains, Alli, and her dog Uwicca, a year and a half old Malinois. “I decided to take my dog out knowing that a woman was missing, and with the idea of going to offer my help”, says Alli before adding: "She started barking in a strange way while staring at the field behind. From her voice, I understand that she notices something abnormal."
Disoriented and covered in dirt
Alli then went through the gate and saw a woman, visibly disoriented, with clothes covered in dirt, walking in socks. "She seemed to be looking for her phone", Alli specifies. Recognizing Gosia from the wanted posters, she immediately alerted the emergency services while trying to calm her down. “She was unaware she was being sought”, Alli notes, adding that Gosia complained of a severe headache and appeared to be in shock.
According to her husband, Gosia may have slipped during the storm and lost consciousness. Taken to hospital for tests, her physical condition was not considered serious, although questions remain about the circumstances of her disappearance.