A DOG has been reunited with his family after he went missing from his home for 13 days sparking a forest-wide hunt around Lymington.

Dooley, the plucky young puggle, was spooked while out with dog walkers and bolted two weeks ago.

The four-year-old’s absence forced his owners, Ben and Natalie Jesty, to embark on a military-style search-and-rescue for their beloved pet who was sorely missed by their children.

A Facebook group set up to encourage sightings not only gained 1,200 followers but saw residents out looking for Dooley even in the dead of night.

Ben and Natalie took to the woodland after every reported sighting. On one occasion Natalie fell waist-deep into a slurry pit losing her car keys, and on another, Ben and some friends went searching, armed with torches and a lamb’s head in a bag which they hoped would attract their pet.

But during the course of the search they not only lost each other but came across another family walking in the Forest - forcing them to awkwardly explain the unusual bait.

Meanwhile Dooley, who had turned feral after a few days of being parted from his loving family, had trekked eight miles across the Forest, with sightings reported at The Pig inBrockenhurst, The Rising Sun at Tiptoe and The Filly Inn at Setley.

“He looks great for a dog that’s done Bear Grylls for 13 days,” Ben said, adding that their puggle had been on a pub crawl while they’d been endlessly searching for him.

“It’s been crazy - you couldn’t write this stuff. You realise how much they mean to you when they’re not there. We have spent 15 hours a day every day searching for him.”

In the end it was two-year-old Jack and six-year-old Mia who helped to bring Dooley home, after experts told the Jestys feral animals find adult voices threatening, forcing Ben and Natalie to urge people not to approach Dooley in case he was spooked again.

Natalie sat with Jack in a field in the hope Dooley would be there on Wednesday morning.

Ben said: “He started circling them then he just clicked and slowly came over.

"As hard as it was we took the experts’ advice and within 48 hours we had him back. Thank goodness.”