A hero dog who once refused to leave the side of his injured owner has been found after a desperate 15-day search.
Beloved Collie Roy ran off from his home in Omeath, Co Louth, after being spooked by a firework on Halloween week.
But he has finally been returned home after a search covering more than 400 miles.
Roy was hailed a hero five years ago after he refused to leave Francis O’Hanlon when the quad he was driving capsized and trapped him underneath for four hours.
The family of seven were devastated with every passing day the precious pooch didn’t turn up.
Francis’ son Paul said: “We were just gutted and so close to giving up hope.
“We live up the mountains in Omeath and Roy has been with us 10 years since he was a puppy.
“He’s much more than a pet to us, he’s part of this family.
“Roy was out farming with dad when a firework went off and spooked the dog who ran off.
“After a day or so, we put up posters and launched a campaign to try and find him. There were lots of rumoured sightings and we answered all of them.
“Dad was especially devastated. About five years ago, Roy was with him rounding up sheep and the quad toppled over, trapping dad underneath with a broken collar bone and ribs.
“He was unable to reach his phone to call for help.
“Roy could get out but he refused to leave Dad’s side until a hill walker noticed them four hours later so Dad has a particular bond.
"As the weeks passed, we were kind of giving up hope and then last Saturday we got a call from a farmer in Ravensdale about a dog who was with his cattle.
“When we arrived, we were shouting his name but he wasn’t reacting but as we got closer, he recognised us.
“He came bounding over and it was just pandemonium.
“He rolled over straight away, was looking for belly rubs and sure we just all cried. It was so emotional.
“He’s fine. He’s sitting by the fire recovering but he’s so underweight. There’s no way he’d have survived another week.
“We’d just like to thank everyone for their help, especially the farmer. Without him, we’d still be searching.”
