Mountain rescuers cooked sausages and bacon on a disposable barbecue to find a frightened and lost dog in the north.
Nell, a two year-old collie, was out with her ultra-runner owner and her owner’s friend when they got into difficulty in Fisherfield Forest in Wester Ross.
The humans were saved by Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team, but Nell ran off from the scene on Sunday.
Two members of Dundonnell MRT went back to the scene of the rescue on Monday – and started cooking.
The smell of the food lured the dog out from where she was hiding.
She has now been reunited with her owner, Ellen Macaskill, who runs a dog walking business, Happy Trails, in Inverness.
Ms Macaskill said her father had taken Nell on the run – which was part of the 200 mile plus Cape Wrath Trail.
“He often takes her on his runs – he is a very keen runner. Dad was not doing the whole trail, just this part,” she said.
Nell ran off after being frightened by Inverness Coastguard helicopter during the rescue in the early hours of Sunday.
The two ultra marathon runners had been reported overdue from a run the previous night. They were found near Loch an Nid in Fisherfield Forest, an area of the north west Highlands known as “the Great Wilderness”.
They were suffering from mild hypothermia and were flown from the area by the coastguard helicopter.
Members of Torridon Mountain Rescue Team also assisted in the search for the runners.
On Monday, Dundonnell team members Alison Smith and Rachel Drummond returned to the scene with their dogs.
As well as packing winter walking kit, they took with them a disposable barbecue.
A spokesman for Dundonnell MRT said: “They fired up the barbecue and soon had sausages and bacon sizzling.
“The desired effect was soon achieved – a confused and anxious Border collie appeared on the horizon, on a rocky hillside.
“Having been lured closer by the smell of food, a nervous Nell was eventually secured and after a picnic lunch, she and her rescuers walked the five miles back to the roadside.”
The spokesman said Nell appeared to have unharmed by her ordeal.
Ms Macaskill added: ”Nell does not usually have sausages at home. I think she just was wanting home and the smell of the food helped.
“I am so grateful to the mountain rescue team for finding her. I can’t thank them enough.”
