Dog who ran off after having firework thrown at her is reunited owner

A dog who ran away after she had a firework thrown at her has been reunited with her owner following a desperate five week hunt.

The wire fox terrier - named Millie - bolted from the scene, near Glasgow on October 28, after a careless yob set off a firework nearby.

Drones and search parties had been scouring the area but it was a ultimately a social media snap that located the dog and brought her back to her owner, Greg Connelly.

 A woman on a bus who had seen one of the 2,500 missing posters put up spotted another passenger with a wire fox terrier who looked suspiciously similar to Millie.

Alarm bells started to ring and she took a discreet photo to send to Ayrshire Drone Dog Rescue (ADDR) who were heading the search operation.

The organisation - who have an impressive 93 per cent success rate in finding missing dogs using drones and high tech equipment - verified Millie's identity and immediately sprung into action.

It is understood the fox-terrier had been stolen by a woman who was telling anyone that confronted her that the dog was called 'Babe' - which the founder of ADDR says 'demonstrates intention to deceive'.

Mr Connelly, 66, described the weeks without Millie as 'horrendous' and said he 'thought he would never see her again'.

Posting to Facebook after he was reunited with his beloved pet on November 29 he thanked everyone for their help and support in the search.

He said: 'The last 5 weeks have been horrendous for me and I couldn’t have done it without all of you supporting me. 

'I had moments where I thought I was never going to see her again but because of everyone’s efforts I finally have her back home where she belongs with me and Zac. 

'She is very tired and is not herself but I’m sure in time she will be. 

'She’s eating well and sleeping lots and enjoying being back with her brother. We are all looking forward to getting some normality back into our lives and all need to decompress and just get used to our old daily routine.'

The post was was flooded with comments from those who followed and joined in the search with many praising Mr Connelly's 'determination' in bringing Millie home.

One person wrote: 'I'm just so pleased you got her home Greg, you never gave up. You need to take time now and rest, you have been on the go 24/7 for the last 5 weeks.

'Welcome home Millie. All those extra steps, whacking through bushes and climbing through dense woodland did me the world if good...apologies to the folk of Penilee though when I bolted there that Sunday morning still in my pjs after a tip off.

'I was some sight - all worth it though.'

Another added: 'You never stopped searching - you are the bestest foxy daddy and Millie is so lucky to be back home where she belongs getting spoiled by you and Zac!'

ADDR said: 'Greg, your determination to bring Millie home has been truly inspiring. We’ve seen you navigate the highs and lows of this journey, yet you rarely wavered in your hope.'

Mr Connelly had been walking his two dogs Zac and Millie in the lead up to Bonfire Night when disaster stuck and a thug launched a firework 'banger' device at him.

He told the Record shortly after the incident: I heard this loud, deafening bang as the firework landed a couple of feet from us.

'It all happened in a split second.'

Mr Connelly added: 'I'm worried I'll never see her again and with every day that passes, I'm starting to think she's gone and she's not coming home.

'She's a rescue dog and has probably already been through trauma in her life.

'To think she is somewhere petrified just makes me sick. It was the worst thing that has ever happened in my life.'

Volunteers from Ayrshire Drone Dog Rescue rushed down to the area to help search for Millie as soon as Mr Connelly contacted them.

As more than a month passed by with no sign of her hopes of her return had begun to fade.

But, on November 29, a social media tip off offered Mr Connelly a lifeline.

A woman took a picture of someone sitting on a bus with a dog she thought might be Millie and it was brought to the attention of ADDR.

The image showed a woman holding a scruffy-looking dog  - which appeared to be a fox-terrier - on a lead.

Mr Connelly 'instantly recognised Millie' when he saw the picture and said she 'looked sad' which made him feel 'awful'

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He added: 'I’m still quite gobsmacked as to how a person could keep someone dog and act like it was theirs without any conscience.'

ADDR managed to track down the address of the woman in the photo after receiving a tip off and volunteers, accompanied by Mr Connelly, went to the house.

The charity said: 'Events took an unexpected turn when the woman herself appeared, walking Millie on a lead.

They added: 'The situation escalated when the woman caused a dramatic scene, screaming and claiming Greg was stealing her dog, whom she called Babe.'

The dog's microchip was quickly scanned by a volunteer who was able to confirm it was Millie and the police were called. 

She was then secured in a volunteer’s van before being taken home.

A heartwarming video shows the moment Millie was reunited with her owner and companion - a fellow fox terrier called Zac.

The woman refused to explain how or when she had taken Millie.

The incident has been reported to the police but it is unclear if any further action will be taken.