Dog turns up at Shaftesbury home days after vanishing down hole

Porridge surprised the family by turning up in the middle of the night

A family was amazed when their dog turned up at their door almost a week after disappearing down a hole without a trace.

Porridge, a three-year-old Cairn Terrier, vanished in a field near Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 26 January.

Rescue services took part in extensive searches, but the adventurous pooch found his own way home on Monday.

Owner Susie Ross said she had been "so worried about this little chap down a hole not knowing where he was".

The RSPCA, the fire brigade, a drainage company, and members of the local community all helped in the search.

Porridge is a three-year-old old Cairn Terrier

Describing the moment he vanished, Flora Harvey, Ms Ross's daughter, said: "We went for a nice family walk after home schooling.

"He usually walks on the lead and we thought, 'it's a safe field, we'll let him off'.

"And he shot off, my daughter ran after him and saw him go down a hole. She tried to grab his tail and just missed him."

Cornish pasty

She said waiting for news on Porridge's fate was "like a rollercoaster and you begin to clutch at straws".

"People were suggesting all these things and you try everything.

"We went to Reeve's [bakery] and put a Cornish pasty down the hole, then went to Tesco's and put a hot chicken down a hole."

Ms Ross said life without her "constant companion" had been "dreadful".

"We didn't think there was a chance of him ever appearing," she added.

Susie Ross called the pooch her "constant companion"

Once the family had "completely given up hope" they were woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of barking.

Ms Harvey said: "I shot out of my room and knocked mum over and there he was trotting up as if nothing had happened.

"It was amazing. He wasn't even that wet or muddy which is extraordinary."