A MISSING DOG who managed to go on an incredible five day adventure – which included taking a dip in the Firth of Forth – was reunited with his family after sniffing them out at a house in Fife.
Brendan the cockapoo went walkabout after he got loose from a dog walker in Devilla Forest in Alloa, Clackmannanshire while his family were attending a birthday party last Sunday.
The five-year-old dog’s owner Anthony Lomax and family were utterly devastated when they got the news and didn’t know whether they would ever see their “third child” again.
Anthony, 42, immediately set about trying to find his dog with the help of two groups – totally unaware that the cheeky pooch was in fact having the impromptu adventure of a lifetime.
The dad-of-two – along with Missing Pets Perth and Kinross and Dana’s Angels – used special thermal imaging to differentiate between Brendan and other animals which made it easier to try and locate him.
The cockapoo was seemingly on a mission – being spotted on cameras wandering across farms and train tracks throughout Kincardine, Fife apparently unaware that his owners were trying to find him.
The daredevil dog even enjoyed a dip in the Firth of Forth while Anthony’s wife watched helplessly from above on the Kincardine Bridge.
Eventually a gamekeeper on an estate in Kincardine noticed Brendan lingering around, and after the dog began letting him get closer, the family were approached to come and leave their scent at the estate.
Whilst the family did that, Anthony opted to take a look around in the hopes of spotting his best friend prowling the estate – but Brendan beat him to it.
The pooch sensed his owner’s scents and returned to the family at the doorstep of the estate – after an exhausting circuit which saw him wander 10 miles away from where he first went missing.
Speaking today, Anthony said: “He escaped from my neighbour and we got a phone call while at my mum’s birthday party.
“When we arrived there were already a couple of neighbours out looking and then Missing Pets came down from Perth, they had thermal imaging but couldn’t find a heat source which matched a dog.
“The first night myself, my wife and our girls camped out in our car in case Brendan came back.
“We then returned at about ten past six in the morning and by this point a few people had started to call in with sightings.
“We had to go into some places under supervision as the ground wasn’t safe at the quarry but we couldn’t see Brendan.
“He went from Tillicoultry to swimming in the Firth of Forth and my wife actually saw him from the top of the bridge.
“Brendan got stuck on a mud flap but got himself free and wandered off again in the woods despite us seeing him.
“He was in what is called survivor mode where after a couple of days a dog has to just go into being all alone.
“We got a call that there was a private estate and the gamekeeper thought he had seen Brendan.
“Brendan seemed to be letting this gamekeeper come closer and was gaining his trust so they asked us to come down.
“We were asked to leave our scent and so we left a blanket and some chicken then my wife was invited in for a cup of tea and I was wandering around looking for Brendan.
“The next minute someone said there’s a dog at the door and he ran in and found his way back to us.
“We took him to the vet to get checked over but he had kept himself clean and just had some mucky paws.
“It was quite a couple of days but he has got his appetite back.
“It all felt a bit surreal to be honest, going home empty-handed after nights out in -3C. I was just lying awake thinking about will we see him again?
“It was just total elation, I was pinching myself when my wife called me to tell me he was back.
“We were up to high doh looking for him as he is like our third child and I wanted to believe he was back but didn’t until he was in my arms.”
If you would like to donate to Missing Pets Perth and Kinross you can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/missingpetspandk?utm_term=QPN85neNW
