A dog has been found ten days after it was thought to have got stuck down a rabbit hole.
Sandra Muir, from Oban, was beginning to despair of finding Rowan the Jack Russell and Patterdale terrier cross.
But the missing dog turned up close to where it had vanished.
Ms Muir said she was almost “100% certain” the two-year-old black and white dog was stuck down a rabbit hole by Ganavan sands, Oban, where they had been walking on Valentine’s Day.
Local woman Karen Delaney spotted Rowan shortly before 11am yesterday morning, as Ms Muir turned up at the beach for another day’s searching.
A local vet later said Rowan had lost about 0.8Kg of body weight but said he was “amazed” by the good health of the dog despite it spending 10 days out in the open.
Ms Muir, of Hynish Crescent, said she was “extremely grateful” to members of the community who had devoted their time to helping search for Rowan.
The 50-year-old said: “I abandoned my car and Karen was shouting, ‘she’s here, we’ve got her, then my other dog, Holly, went running up to Rowan and I went running over screaming. I just could not believe it.
“I wrapped my scarf around her and took her to the vet. She had gone from 6.1Kg to 5.3Kg.
“I am pretty certain she was down the rabbit hole. She was bare dry but dirty and she’s got red bits on her gums and on her head. The vet said it looked like she had been chewing. It’s maybe that she had to do that because her paws were stuck.
“I am absolutely ecstatic. The family are just overjoyed.”
The community started searching for Rowan after the dog went missing on Tuesday, February 14, which is also Ms Muir’s daughter Sarah’s 22nd birthday.
Ms Muir said that Rowan often chases rabbits in nearby braken and long grass – but on this occasion failed to return.
During the search, a heat-seeking camera was used to track down the dog, and a team of local builders were also drafter in to help speed up the digging process.
