A Spanish rescue dog feared lost at sea has been reunited with her Kirkcudbright owners.
Colin Wyper and his family had all but given up hope after frantic searches for their pet drew a blank.
Scared Heidi swam away on a strong ebb tide after jumping into the Dee on Friday afternoon.
The dog had taken fright at boys on bikes and bolted two miles to Mutehill before diving in.
Kirkcudbright lifeboat was scrambled but a two-hour operation failed to find the missing pooch.
Weekend searches by distraught family members and volunteers along the coast also drew a blank.
But on Monday despair turned to joy when Heidi was found on farmland at Ross Bay – four miles across the estuary.
Colin, 63, said: “Obviously Emma, myself and all of us are over the moon.
“Our whole family has been involved and were out eight hours on Saturday and again on Sunday.
“Other folk were out looking and there was even one guy with a drone.
“We had 550 shares on Facebook but after two full days’ searching we gave up and thought she had probably drowned.
“I’d just like to say a massive thanks to everybody for their concern, help and advice in looking for Heidi.”
The cross channel swim was the second time four-year-old Heidi dodged a bullet.
She spent time in a Spanish “kill shelter”, death row for strays unless somebody quickly claims them.
Canine rescue charity Save a Mastin stepped in just in time and paired Heidi up with Colin for a new start in Scotland.
But her traumatic early life left Heidi very nervous – which led to her terrified reaction on Friday.
“Heidi was a stray dog in Malaga in Spain,” said Colin. “She has been very timid since we brought her here.
“She got a real fright from some young lads on pushbikes. I never got her on the lead in time and she just took off.
“Myself and another guy went in the water but Heidi just kept on swimming out to sea.
“Somebody called the lifeboat and they spent two hours looking for her up and down the shore.
“She swam four miles from where she went in to where she was found.”
After making land shepherd-dog Heidi was soon in trouble again and was spotted chasing sheep.
Colin’s daughter Emma immediately phoned the farmer to plead for Heidi’s life.
“The farmer has a sign up saying stray dogs will be shot,” said Colin. “But my daughter knows the farmer and phoned to say please don’t shoot her.
“One sheep had died from fright and I’m paying for the loss. There were no marks on the sheep – only where the crows have been at her.”
“But it’s likely Heidi chased the sheep and it perhaps died from a heart attack.”
