09 January 2024 , 16:12
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A dog who disappeared under strange circumstances has turned up at home - amidst a search party of more than a hundred.
Springer spaniel Merlin sparked a frantic hunt after suffering from a fit then vanishing from owner Daniel Horsley's home in Seaton, Cumbria. Fears grew when villagers reported seeing a dog looking disorientated and in a bad way nearby.
Terrified for Merlin, Mr Horsley and wife Pam began searching in an operation which lasted for 16 hours and, at its peak, involved more than 100 helpers recruited through social media with people as far away as the US and Australia trying to help. A mountain rescue search team became involved, with drones and thermal imaging used to find the pooch.
Mr Horsley even trailed the contents of the family's vacuum cleaner, along with clothing and toys, in the desperate hopes of enticing Merlin out of his apparent hiding spot with familiar smells. But with owners beginning to fear they may never see their beloved pet again, they were dumbfounded to see him sauntering back up their driveway unharmed.
Mr Horsley said Merlin had no history of running off, and that his concerns were heightened when someone in the village posted on Facebook reporting to have seen a dog "looking lost and not himself at all". "He's like a magnet to me", he told the BBC.
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Merlin padded home seeming unscathed after sparking the massive hunt (bbc.co.uk)The spaniel was spotted on New Year's Day collapsing on the family's front garden, seemingly suffering from a fit then looking disorientated before running off. "A full search suddenly kicked in to gear," Mr Horsley said.
But at 1am the following day, the family said Merlin padded back up the drive "without a scratch" on him, apart from being "soaked to the skin". He has now thanked everyone who helped in the huge search, with one set of kind strangers even bringing in a second drone to pan out the search area. "I can't thank them enough," he said, offering to "buy a pint" for everyone who took part.