It all started on St Patrick’s Day morning. Four year old Emily and her Mum Siobhan were getting ready to take part in the annual St Patrick's Day parade in Ballina, Co. Mayo. It was going to be a great, fun-filled day so of course, everyone was excited, especially Emily who was being accompanied to the parade by Brownie Lottie!

At the parade, Mum decided it was best to place Lottie into her handbag for safekeeping but no one could guess what would happen next – when the parade was over, Mum realised that Lottie was missing! St Patrick’s Day 2018 was a bitterly cold day in Ireland and in the falling snow, Emily insisted her Mum and Dad walk back along the parade route, not once, not twice but THREE times to try to find the missing doll. Sadly, there was no sign and eventually, a crestfallen Emily was persuaded to come home without her favourite friend.

The next day, Mum tried to take her daughter’s mind off Lottie but it was clear that Emily wasn’t going to forget her that easy. Poor Emily remained worried that wherever she was, Lottie was bound to be cold as she hadn’t been wearing her jacket when she went missing. Emily busied herself by taking care of Lottie’s teddy and doggy, certain they would be missing Lottie as much as she was.

In a last-ditch effort to find her daughter’s toy, Mum Siobhan took to social media to explain what had happened and to ask the public to keep their eyes open for Lottie. When she awoke the next morning, she couldn’t believe what had happened – her post had been shared hundreds of times and had even attracted the attention of a local radio station who had made several appeals across the airwaves for the safe return of a beloved doll.

The next day, Siobhan was delighted to receive a very interesting phone call – it seemed that Lottie had been off on a very exciting adventure with some cowboys! The Ballina Cowboys, the self-appointed protectors of Ballina had also been walking in the parade and had stumbled upon Brownie Lottie. Hoping to reunite her with her owner, they took Lottie home where she’d be out of the cold. A reunion was planned for Emily and Lottie that very afternoon. Not only was Emily reunited with her Lottie, but she was also presented with a cowboy hat and proudly proclaimed herself to be a cowgirl! Check out the fabulous photos:

Team Lottie had been gripped by the mysterious disappearance and was overjoyed to see Lottie and Emily reunited at last. While it was clear that Brownie Lottie had enjoyed her cowboy adventure, we felt it best for Emily’s sake that she not stray too far from home in the future. All brave cowgirls need a base and so we were delighted to send Emily her very own Lottie Treehouse for her and Brownie to have lots of adventures together for many years to come. Thanks to Mum Siobhan for sending in these lovely photos to show the happy outcome!