To everyone’s surprise, a dog that was taken from the shelter where it was left by its owners and adopted by its new owner, fled and traveled 65 kilometers to the town where the abandoned family lived minutes after it was adopted.
Cooper, a golden retriever, was wanted for 27 days on his way back to Tobermore, County Londonderry, 65 kilometers north of Dungannon, County Tyrone, in Northern Ireland. Charity Lost Paws in Northern Ireland says the dog’s “instinct” guides it home, making a 65-mile journey through forests and main roads at night without the help of humans.
Nigel Fleming, the dog’s second owner, a photographer in Dungannon, said he couldn’t believe Cooper was now home after he suddenly disappeared in early April at the time of his adoption. Fleming had taken the dog with him from the shelter, thinking it would make a “good friend” for Cooper’s Golden Retriever Molly.
Cooper’s path“I’m sitting here looking at him and I can’t believe he’s home,” Fleming said during an interview with BelfastLive. The poor little boy had no idea where he was and was running. I tried to chase after him but he just disappeared – then we started a search.”
She said Cooper is now safe and eats small meals to gain strength and begins to regain the weight he lost over the course of 27 days.
“Even when she disappeared, my faith in humanity was restored thanks to the incredible help that was offered to me, and here today, with me and Molly; I really can’t find the words to describe the gratitude I feel.”
A Lost Paws NI spokesperson said, “Cooper is a smart kid. His instincts took him back to a familiar place. How he did it, I will never know, but he succeeded. We searched around the place day and night and tracked him to a point where we lost him again, but now we know that he’s almost back to where he started before the dog was released into the shelter. “It seems incredible that he can do that – but dogs are amazing animals and that’s why we work hard every day to help them.”
Cooper traversed major roads, forests, fields, country roads for 27 days to return to his old home from an area he had never been before.
“We are absolutely delighted to be a part of his rescue and to be part of a story that will live on in his family for generations,” the spokesperson concluded.
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