Heartwarming pictures have revealed the moment a lost dog was reunited with its owner after a two day search.
An army of dog owners travelled miles around the UK after bearded collie Arran went missing after he bolted during a walk.
The tight-knit community of ‘beardie’ owners dropped what they were doing and travelled from miles around to join a major search for the six-year-old dog, who went missing in Dorset.
Over 40 bearded collies and their owners took part in the search around Verwood after Arran’s breeder Madeleine Fear put out a desperate appeal for help on social media.
The highly co-ordinated search, which lasted two days and two nights, covered several square miles of woods using infrared cameras and drones, until Arran was eventually found in a garden.
Arran the dog was reunited with his owner Madeline Fear after he was found in a back garden
Bearded collies and their owners were out in full force to help find Arran who had bolted on a walk
Volunteers put up missing signs in the area while taking part in the search for Arran
Arran pictured in competition has been accepted for this year’s Crufts after he was found in a garden
Some braved freezing temperatures and slept out in their cars and one bearded collie owner and their pet even made a mammoth 160 mile round trip from Guildford, Surrey, to search for Arran, who has been accepted for this year’s Crufts.
The distinctive shaggy dogs barked constantly in the hope Arran would respond to the familiar sound.
Their owners also handed out more than 200 missing posters to the people of Verwood.
Then on Tuesday afternoon just over 50 hours after Arran went missing when he bolted during a walk, he was discovered in the back garden of a home in the town.
Bearded collies are pictured above taking a break from the search, which lasted two days
The search party make their way into woodland surrounding the town of Verwood, Dorset
Bearded collie Twiggy would rather pose for the camera than listen to the search briefing
Fellow dog owners search the local park for any sign of the missing collie, the dogs seemed to be enjoying the extra walks
The homeowner had seen one of the missing posters and called Madeleine to alert her he had located him.
Dog breeder Madeleine, 43, from Bransgore, Hampshire, gave Arran a huge hug after being reunited with him.
She has paid tribute to all the dog owners and their pets for answering her appeal for help.
Madeleine said the ‘sheer volume of numbers’ was crucial, as if only a few people had taken part they would still be looking for Arran.
All wrapped up and ready to go! Owners were seen in their hats and winter thermals while out looking for the dog
The search party are pictured above hard at work as they searched high and low for Arran
The best of friends! The adorable dogs were seen walking through a woodland area trying to find their friend
She added that the fact there were so many bearded collies walking around also helped raise awareness of the search.
She said: ‘The people of Verwood and the bearded collie owners who travelled down here to help have been amazing.
‘We are a very close community as only about 200 bearded collies were born last year. The bearded collies were barking during the search and trying to alert one of their own.
‘There were over 100 people looking for Arran, even late at night in the woods. One man had an infrared camera, another had a drone.
‘Even though it was minus 6C one night we slept in our cars because we were so desperate to find him.’
All lined up, the search is on! Madeline was distraught when her dog went missing and issued a plea on social media These people helped her
Arran (right), in car boot, after he was finally reunited with his owner Madeleine Fear (second left)
She added that without the people who travelled to help her, then her dog would not have been found.
‘I was so worried because he went missing near a busy road but all the motorists slowed down when they saw our signs about a missing dog.
‘The homeowner who spotted Arran in his back garden had heard about him and called me.
‘I think with all the bearded collies walking around almost everyone in Verwood knew we were looking for Arran, which was really important as it raised awareness of the search.
‘I’m ecstatic that he’s been found. I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone. If it had just been a few people looking for him we would still be looking for him.’
Fellow bearded collie breeder Mary Busby, 60, a biomedical scientist, made a 80 mile roundtrip from Fareham, Hants, to take part in the search.
She said: ‘The bearded collie breeders community is very close so whenever something awful happens we all band together.
‘I would like to think they would do the same thing if something ever happened to my dog.
‘It’s just fabulous that Arran has been found and reunited with Madeleine. It was a wonderful moment.’
Bearded collies are a herding breed of dog once used primarily by Scottish shepherds.
They are known for their fuzzy long hair and bouncy nature.