On the first really hot day of summer, Emily Watson’s dog walker arrived early to exercise her bichon frise Molly before the heat fully hit.

At about 9.20am, Emily received a call from the dog walker to say Molly had been spooked by another dog at Nidd Gorge and she’d spent the last 20 minutes looking for her.

Emily and her partner Ben went to join the hunt, thinking it was only a matter of time before Molly turned up. But by dusk she was panicking and her family’s life hasn’t been the same since.

On the two-month anniversary of when Molly went missing, Emily sat down with her mum Beverley Malins to talk about the story that has gripped Harrogate — and how she remains desperate for a final chapter with a happy ending.

Molly has distinctive red fur on her chest.

Amid the ongoing torture, the search has revealed the best of humanity as hundreds of people have given thousands of hours to join the quest to find Molly and dozens of people have donated everything from thermal imaging cameras to signs.

On the day we met, a couple from Glasgow, who were visiting York on holiday, had been in touch offering to come to Harrogate to help. Emily says:

“The generosity of even total strangers has been amazing. I don’t know how I can repay everybody or thank them enough.

“From the moment the dog walking community found out, they were all there to help.

First family pet

Molly was 12 weeks old when she became Emily and Ben’s first dog. Beverley says:

“I was apprehensive because Emily had never had a dog before but she has absolutely blown me away with her commitment.”

Molly was aged four when she went missing and a treasured part of the family that also includes three children aged 12, 10 and three. Youngest Hugo sometimes sleeps in Molly’s bed and often carries a stuffed dog toy.

Hugo sleeping in Molly’s bed.

Few hunts for pets have been more intense. It has involved search parties of up to 50 people, drones, thermal imaging cameras, wildlife cameras, a live cam, sniffer dogs and a huge awareness campaign that has led to a Facebook group with almost 3,000 followers. Emily says:

“People have been out to the middle of the night. Everybody has been incredible.”

Read more:

• Missing dog Molly: new poster released on two-month anniversary
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Emily’s phone barely stops ringing. Sometimes she gets hoax calls and possible sightings are reported daily. She has learned the hard way to be wary.

“A month ago a man called me. He said, ‘I’ve got your dog, she’s got cuts to her legs but she’s fine. I’m 100% certain it’s her. Come to Ripley to collect her.

“I started crying and my heart was absolutely pounding. We got to Ripley car park and I went to pick her up from the back of his vehicle and my heart just dropped when I realised it wasn’t her.

“I didn’t know what to say. The man messaged later to say he was really sorry.

“I didn’t even think to say ‘could you send me a photo?’ because I was so excited. Now I ask for a photo or video because it’s too upsetting to be let down.”

‘Like getting on a roundabout every day’

Molly has distinctive red staining on her chest from drinking water and getting her fur wet.

Emily is acutely aware some people think she is dead but lost dogs have turned up years later and she refuses to give up hope. She says:

“It’s the not knowing. Sometimes you feel deflated because you think you are chasing nothing. We just want an answer.”

Beverley, who has joined 40 Facebook pages for missing dogs, says:

“It’s like getting on a roundabout every day. Every day is the same and it’s never ending.”

While everything has been going on, Emily has had to be a mum and hold down two jobs. She runs a business providing balloon for events and works at the Yorkshire Hotel, which has granted her time off.

Emily and her mum Beverley Malins

Amid the dozens of people helping, three people — Jen Bell, Colin Corker and Mark Smith — are singled out for special thanks for helping with everything from social media to drones.

They’ve done a remarkable job keeping a missing dog story in the news so long. Now everybody is hoping for a happy ending. Emily says:

“It’s now at the point where we have to hope for sightings, hope for good news. I will just cry and cry if she comes back.”

The owners of missing dog Molly have released a new poster today on the two-month anniversary of her disappearance.

Molly, a white bichon frise, was spooked by another dog and ran away in Nidd Gorge on June 23.

Her disappearance sparked a huge search involving search parties, drones and thermal imaging cameras.

A Facebook group devoted to finding Molly has 2,600 members.

Emily Watson, who lives in Starbeck, continues to oversee the hunt on behalf of her devastated family.

But so far the mystery remains unsolved.

The family hopes the poster will keep the search fresh in people’s minds. Emily said:

“We are now at the point where we have to hope for sightings, hope for good news.

Hundreds of people have given their time for free to help the Watsons. Emily said:

“I don’t know how I can ever repay everybody enough. The support we have had has been overwhelming.”

Read more:

• Search for missing dog Molly set to enter second month
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The team behind a major search operation for a missing dog in Harrogate have said they will not stop looking for the beloved pet.

Emily Watson’s white bichon frise, Molly, was spooked by another dog and ran away in Nidd Gorge on June 23.

Her last sighting was near the viaduct on the Bilton/Ripley cycle path.

Ms Watson has faced online abuse due to the length of the search, with people saying she should not continue.

However, she has vowed that she will “never give up” and has thanked the community for their continued support.

The search also faced a setback this week when a camera set up to attempt to track Molly was vandalised.

Jen Bell, who has been part of the team helping Ms Watson, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are working behind the scenes with professionals whose time, expertise and equipment are provided on a voluntary basis.

“One of the cameras on loan to us was vandalised recently and the SD card was thrown or dropped further along the road.

“A member of the public found the SD card but we found that the perpetrator(s) had tampered with it, meaning that we have lost 24 hours of footage.

“Consequently, this has hindered our search for Molly. We are however a strong team supporting Emily, and we endeavour to continue our work with the professionals in finding Molly.”

Read more:

• Harrogate rallies in search of missing dog Molly
• Bystanders smash car window to rescue four dogs in Harrogate

Ms Watson has put out regular appeals on Facebook to help find the missing dog and a group called Missing Molly has also been set up.

Posters, banners and flyers have also been displayed and given out in the area.

In an outpouring of support, the community has been out in force searching for Molly, who was wearing a purple harness when she went missing.

Volunteers have also come forward with thermal drones, a dog tracking team and thermal cameras.

Many have continued the search into nightfall.

Residents have also checked their smart doorbells and CCTV cameras for sightings.

Ms Watson is now asking residents in the surrounding villages of Harrogate to keep their eyes peeled.

She said:

“I will carry on for as long as is needed in the search for Molly.”