One dog's incredible escape from his new home to return to the place he had lived as a pup reads like something out of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Golden Retriever Cooper was surrendered to a dog pound, but after being rehomed to devoted new owner Nigel, he made a daring escape just moments after meeting his new doggie sister Molly.
For 27 days, Cooper evaded organised searches, traffic, and human contact as he walked an estimated 64 kilometers to make his way back to his old home in Co Tyrone.
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He darted into secret safety holes to bed down and even avoided watchful sheep farmers monitoring newborn lambs at the height of their busiest season as he crossed rural farmlands, Belfast Live reports.
Despite having no map or logical understanding of the route, Cooper relied on his nose to guide him back to where he once thought of as home, making a remarkable journey from Dungannon to Cookstown to Magherafelt and finally to Tobermore, all on foot and without humans to feed him.
The team at Lost Paws NI estimated the distance as 26 miles (41km) as the crow flies, 40-plus (64-plus km) by the Golden Retriever.
During his daring journey, an army of dog lovers tried to find him and reunite him with his new owner.
After weeks of searches and social media efforts, Cooper was finally found safe and sound back in the area where he had started.
Nigel, a photographer from Dungannon, was overjoyed to be reunited with his furry friend.
He explained: "I'm sitting here looking at him and I cannot believe he's home. We had literally driven from the dog pound to my home when he bolted. I'd met Cooper a few days before in the hope he'd be good company for my Golden Retriever Molly. I felt she'd love a dog companion and found Cooper and his brother George in a dog pound.
"I'd have loved to have taken both of them but three big Goldens would have been too much for me to look after and in the end it was literally the toss of a coin that decided which one to take home - it was Cooper.
"After a successful meeting with Molly, I got all the arrangements sorted and Cooper's microchip was transferred to my name. I paid his rehoming fee and we went home for a new start. But I was just about to get the dogs out of the car on their leads for their first walk together when Cooper bolted. He literally jumped over Holly, prized the car door open enough to get past me and ran for it.
"It was a disaster. The poor boy had no idea where he was and he was in the wind. I tried to chase after him but he was gone in an instant - so then the search was on.
"That was on April 1 with the help of a lot of people, I finally got him back today, April 26. I was determined not to give up on him and with the help of Lost Paws NI, co-ordinated searches, sightings, social media and sheer determination got us there in the end.
"Just as I was about to do a big story with DogsLive asking more people to look out for Cooper, I got a call from Lost Paws NI to say a member of the public had reported seeing him in the Tobermore area, back to where he had started all those weeks ago.
"So today I'm a very happy and relieved man, grateful to every single person who helped me from the team at Lost Paws, Pets Lost and Found Mid Ulster, to the public and DogsLive who offered support, suggestions and practical help. In the end all we had to do was follow a dog's nose home to familiar surroundings. If only we'd known, we could have saved big Cooper all that anxiety.
"He's safe now, he's is eating small meals to build up his strength and put some weight back on slowly - he has lost a lot of weight and he desperately needs a warm bath, but that can wait until he is stronger. Hopefully now he is home for good but I've some added precautions in place if he ever feels the need to bolt again. He has been through a lot.
"Even when he was missing, my faith in humanity was restored thanks to the incredible help I was offered, and today with him here by my side and with Molly, I don't really have the words to explain the gratitude I feel."
A spokesperson for Lost Paws NI added: "Cooper is a clever boy. Instinct took him back to a place he was familiar with. How he did it, I'll never know but he managed it. No food, no shelter, no help, just dogged determination and that incredible nose.
"We had searches in place, day and night and we had tracked him back to a spot where we lost him again but now we know he was almost back in the area where he'd started before he was given to the dog pound. It seems incredible that he was able to do this - but dogs are incredible and that's what we work to hard to help them every day.
"Cooper crossed main 'A' roads, forests, fields, country roads all over 27 days to make his way back to his old home from an area he'd never been in before. We are absolutely delighted to have been part of his rescue and a story that will live on in his family for generations to come.
"We would like to send a special mention to Mid Ulster Dog Wardens who were extremely helpful throughout the whole ordeal, to DogsLive and mostly to the public whose messages, information, posters and support got him back where he needed to be. You are the reason why we exist and why we keep going."
Cooper's incredible story has captured the hearts of dog lovers around the world, proving once again that our furry friends are capable of remarkable feats.
Here's how Cooper's adventure unfolded, by Lost Paws NI
"We were asked to assist with a search by Coopers’ new owner and set up feeding stations around the area and completed door-to-door chats with locals. Several farmers reported seeing him, but thankfully as he was not posing any risk to his sheep they let him on his way.
"On Saturday April 22, we received a tip that Cooper had made his way to Lisnanane Lane and had been spotted several times making his way through fields and hanging around local properties.
"We quickly got into the area, knocked numerous doors and set up a camera and feeding station but again there was nothing from Cooper. There was then an unconfirmed sighting of Cooper close to Drum Manor Forest Park, Cookstown; we postered and leafleted but again radio silence for 6 days.
"On Thursday April 27, we received a call from a member of the public stating that he recognised Cooper from our posts and that he had seen him running towards his old property - 25 miles as the crow flies - and was certain it was him. We quickly contacted Nigel his new owner, and around 20 minutes later a photo arrived in our inbox of Cooper, dishevelled but alive, something we were absolutely elated to see."
If you would like to volunteer with Lost Paws NI or donate, please click this link.
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