A dog has been reunited with her owner after spending more than a week lost in below freezing temperatures, gales and torrential rain in Dumfries and Galloway.
Phoebe, a 1o year old Chinese Crested Powder Puff, disappeared during a walk but was reunited with her owner, Debbie Bradley-Kyle, from Dumfries this week after she spent days and nights searching for her beloved pet, even launching a campaign on social media to try and find her.
Local news report that she is believed to have spent much of the time sheltering however possible in bushes in the Colvend Golf Course and nearby Portling farm areas.
Debbie spent her spare time hunting for the dog and there was a big Facebook campaign to try and find Phoebe, who had only been re-homed about eight weeks ago.
Speaking with ITV local news she said: “I had almost given up hope after a week for it was -6 degrees the first night she was out and then we had storms and we couldn’t find her.”
“We were out walking when she was ‘spooked’ at Douglas Hall and took off. We searched everywhere but couldn’t find her and it was only this week that a friend who lives on the farm with her partner, said she’d take me down and search the fields.”
“Becky Ross and myself searched a couple of days but couldn’t find her but she eventually found Phoebe. After the weekend I didn’t think there was much hope for her because of the temperatures and the rainfall but eventually Becky found her.”
“I only got Phoebe about eight weeks ago from a lady in Dumfries who is ill. Phoebe was found in a bush while I was searching further along at Kippford.”
Debbie added: “There was quite a big Facebook campaign and more than 600 people shared the initial picture, and from what I can understand there’s been about 50 or 60 people out looking for her.”
“I would like to thank all these people who have been out searching for her. At first you think you’re going to find her but as time went on I was fearing the worst.”
Now back and having been checked over by a local vet, Phoebe’s grateful owner said: “She has had injections and antibiotics but apart from that the vet said she was a very lucky dog. It’s really great to get her back.”