Phoenixx and missing dogs

Back in March 2004 Mike Watson of NB Phoenixx became only the 3rd, 4th or 5th canal blogger, depending on how you measure it.  I met him a few months later near Milton Keynes.

He'd also put up a whole other website, a memorial to his brother who'd had a boat called Phoenix (one X), a Springer narrowboat as I recall, complete with years of detailed cruising logs.

When I met him late in 2004 he seemed a loner to me, quite respectable, living with a couple of large dogs named Tyler and Diesel.

Yesterday I had a call from his sister-in-law, who said she'd heard he'd died, and did I know if that was true.  Gulp, well, I hadn't heard, but how do you answer that over the phone to a stranger?

Anyway, I spoke to her later, and she said that, she'd now heard he was found dead in early September (cause unexplained) alone on his boat in Milton Keynes. 

She didn't say much about Mike, but she was worried about the dogs. They've not been seen since, the dogs.  Anyone heard of two large mongrels, answering to Tyler and Diesel?

Sorry to see that www.phoenixx.com has gone offline.  When you find me dead, please do preserve www.grannybuttons.com.  There, I've said it.