A DINKY Dutch dog has been found safe and well after making off into the mountains of Scotland for nine days.
Harvey the border terrier lives with his owner in The Hague, in one of the flattest countries on the planet, at 3ft above sea level.
But on a trip to the north of Scotland, the 18-month-old pooch disappeared on the first day of a walking trip amid rugged and misty peaks in excess of 3,000ft.
Menno van der Mark spent two days searching for Harvey, briefly returned to the Netherlands, and came back to Wester Ross with his girlfriend to resume the search.
Incredibly, on their first day back hunting in the hills, a vet out walking with a friend spotted Harvey.
Now, after travelling 2,000 miles during his search, Menno and Harvey are happily back home together in The Hague.
Menno and school friends travelled by ferry and road to northern Scotland at the end of August for the walking trip based in the village of Dundonnell.
But on the first day, August 28, the party was hit by heavy rain and poor visibility and lost contact with their canine companion.
Menno and his friends spent the next few days creating posters and asking local residents and nearby hotels if anyone had seen the dog.
Menno briefly returned home on the ferry he had pre-booked and flew back to Scotland on September 4 with his girlfriend Aneta Bach.
The following day, Menno and Aneta were high in the hills at the spot where Harvey had last been seen.
At that moment, a call came through that two local women, one of them a newly qualified vet, had found the pooch about three miles from where he had been lost.
Apart from the pads on Harvey’s paws showing signs of wear and tear, the dog was fit and well. Although sources of water were plentiful, it’s not clear whether Harvey found any sources of food.
Aneta said today the moment was “unbelievable”.
She added: “It was quite funny really. We arrived in Dundonnell that day and walked through the same route that Menno had walked.
“Literally in the same place the dog was lost, we got the call to say he was safe.
“Menno was running back down the hill, all we wanted to know is that he was alive.”
She added: “We don’t have any children so the dog means the world to Menno and is literally like a child to him.
“He’s a very spoiled dog.”
“People were telling us this breed was very tough, but it is amazing.”
During the search a Facebook group was launched in an attempt to find the dog entitled “Finding Harvey in the Highlands.”
The couple received a huge amount of support including from one woman who sat out all night in the hope that Harvey would appear.
Speaking of the support, Aneta said: “It was absolutely incredible, people provided so much help and support.
“People were even offering to go up the hill to look for him.”
