Missing 14-year-old border collie found stuck in mud after 6 days

A 14-year-old border collie missing from his home in Newcastle, United Kingdom has been found and reunited with his owner. The dog named Toby was found stuck in the mud and covered in seaweed after swimming 200 meters (656 feet) across the River Tyne, reports the Chronicle Live.

The dog’s owner Chris Knowles had made an appeal to find his lost dog on Facebook. He feared his dog had died and would never be found. And then came a miracle…

‘There’s life in the old boy yet,” Knowles stated. “With his age I thought I wasn’t going to get him back. I thought the worst. I feared that would have been it, and I wasn’t going to see him again. It was a total surprise because he has never been a swimmer.”

On January 17, Toby escaped from his home. It is thought someone may have left a door open, but as soon as it was discovered the dog had been missing, Knowles launched an intensive search. Friends and neighbors searched for Toby – it was the first time he had ever run off. Signs were posted with the dog’s picture everywhere in the area for miles, but still no clues where the dog may have wandered.

Six days later, when Chris had nearly lost hope of ever seeing his dog again, he received a call from his niece telling him a dog fitting Toby’s description had been found stuck in the mud at  the bottom of the Hebburn Marina. The dog was covered in cuts and bruises and could barely move, but he was alive. Firefighters from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service were called to help rescue the dog,  and Toby was taken to a nearby vet.

Miraculously, a few pounds lighter, very tired and moving a bit slower, Toby is back with Chris and Cassie, a ten-year-old border collie.

How’s that for a happy ending?

(Photos screenshot via Newcastle Chronicle and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service)

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