Adopted Dog Escapes New Home, Walks 64km Back To His Old Owner For 27 Days

A Golden Retriever named Cooper escapes his new home at County Tyrone, Northern Ireland and takes a 64km trip for 27 days to go back to his old home.

Cooper was adopted by Nigel Fleming, a photographer from Dungannon, on April 01. And after an hour of being with his new family, he bolted out the car and wasn’t seen for almost a month, the Metro says.

The Golden Retriever went on incredibly long trip from Dungannon to Cookstown to Magherafelt to go back to Tobermore, Co Londonderry, where he lived as a puppy.

Fleming, Cooper’s new owner, asked Lost Paws NI, a charity organization that helps reunite lost and found pets with their owners, for assistance.

And on April 27, Cooper was found thanks to a citizen who recognized him from Lost Paws NI’s posts. According to Lost Paws NI, the citizen “has seen him running towards his old property (25 miles as the crow flies) and was certain it was him.”

And right after, a photo of a disheveled but breathing Cooper was sent to Lost Paws NI, which was something they described as “something we were absolutely elated to see.”

According to reports, Cooper traveled mostly at night, surviving on his own while evading all organized searches, traffic and humans. Sheep farmers even saw him but decided to let him on his way because he avoided their sheep.

Lost Paws NI reveals, “Cooper crossed main A roads, forests, fields, country roads all over 27 days to make his way back home from an area he had never been in before.”

Fleming told BelfastLive, “I’m sitting here looking at him and I cannot believe he’s home. We had literally driven from the dog pound to my home when he bolted.”

Fleming thanked everyone who helped get Cooper home and gave a special shout out to Lost Paws NI in a Facebook post. He said, “Special thanks to the volunteers at Lost Paws NI who went way above and beyond. It’s difficult to overstate their help, expertise and support throughout.”

Fleming continues, “From printing and nailing up posters in several towns and town lands, to physically searching by night and day, to going door to door. No stone was left unturned by their dedicated team of volunteers.”

Currently, Cooper is adjusting well to his new life with owner Fleming and sister Molly. According to Fleming, he’s now “so thin and needs feeding up, a good bath and plenty of sleep.”