The owner of rescue dog Juno has said he is "overwhelmed" with the support from his fellow rescue team members after the dog was found yesterday, after going missing for seven days.
Juno went missing during a routine training exercise with Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue (NorLSAR) at Fritton Woods in Gorleston on Tuesday, December 21.
However, she was found by Paul Wesley, from Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue, in the early hours of Monday, December 27, near the same place she went missing.
Following the rescue, her owner, Ian Danks, who is NorLSAR's rescue team leader said his family was happy to have Juno back.
He said: "I'm feeling pleased, I think I'm going to have a beer.
"I'm ecstatic and humbled, by the amount of support I've got from lowland rescue and NSARDA (National Search and Rescue Dog association), we had 85 people out there today from seven different organisations.
"Lowland rescue is all about helping people from the local community in their hour of need, only this time round instead of trying to help other people I was relying on all of my team members to help me and Juno.
"The whole family is pleased to have her back, we just want to get her back to full health and get back to normality."
Mr Danks was in Witton Woods where Juno went missing, when he found out she had been found.
He added: "I felt overwhelmed with emotion and when I was first told I was in disbelief, I couldn't believe Juno had been found."
Following the incident he said Juno was safe and well despite being missing for over a week.
Mr Danks said: "She's at home asleep in front of the fire now, I've taken her to our local vets, where she's been given a thorough check up and she's fit and healthy.
"But she has lost a bit of weight and she's got some sore feet, she's grounded for the next week."
He wanted to use the publicity to raise awareness of NorLSAR and NSARDA's work, urging the public to donate if they could.
Mr Danks added: "It's just a great example of what a great pair of charities they are, people did this out of the good of their own heart and everyone goes over and above for people they don't know."
To donate to NorLSAR visit: http://www.norlsar.org.uk/
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