Squirrels 'help rescue dog trapped in hedge'

Ruby went missing on a walk and spent two nights unable to move in a hedge

A dog who spent two nights trapped in a hedge unable to move was rescued after a group of squirrels led a builder to her.

Ruby, a one-year-old labrador, got separated from her owner after being spooked while out for a walk in Swindon on Sunday.

Her owner said she was rescued two days later after about a dozen noisy squirrels attracted the attention of a builder, who found Ruby with serious injuries. It is believed she had been hit by a van.

"The squirrels caused such a ruckus that a builder was alerted to see what all the fuss was about," said Ruby's owner Tina Ward-Smith. "He realised it wasn't a fox in the hedge, it was actually Ruby."

Ms Ward-Smith said that after Ruby went missing during a walk in Mouldon Park, nearby residents and police community support officers joined her in her search.

Sniffer dogs and drones were also used to find Ruby, but there was no sign of her.

Ruby's family put missing posters up across Swindon as they desperately searched for her

"We didn't actually think we were going to see Ruby again," Ms Ward-Smith said. "Until we had a phone call to say she was lying under a hedge in someone's garden and they'd been alerted by the squirrels.

"She was so badly injured she could barely move. The vet thinks she was lying there as her final resting place."

The builder recalled seeing a missing dog poster further down the street and jumped in his van to track it down and contact Ruby's owners.

Ruby's owner Tina Ward-Smith was able to get her out from the hedge and take her to the vet

Ruby was taken to Eastcott Vets in Swindon for emergency surgery, with Ms Ward-Smith explaining she had suffered deep wounds to her back legs and had developed a bone infection.

"Three vets were waiting in the car park for us," Ms Ward-Smith added. "Her injuries are more extensive than we thought. She's really going through it."

A fundraiser has been launched to cover Ruby's vet bills, with any excess money raised set to go to DroneSAR for Lost Dogs UK and Southern Counties Lost Dog Tracking, which helped the searches.

Ruby's owners thanked the "amazing" community in Swindon who helped look for Ruby.

"I have to thank the squirrels and the builder," she added.