When Lenny the playful pup went missing during an afternoon walk, the local community tried and failed to locate him.
Worried homeowner Amy Smith, 31, walked the streets of her housing estate late into the night and was joined by local residents armed with torches as word spread on social media.
Early the next morning they even sent out a drone to scan the forest from above.
But since the human search effort came up empty, it was up to another dog to be the hero of the moment.
Amy’s father, Stewart Smith, brought his dog Alfie and, after sniffing Lenny’s bedding and toys at home, quickly picked up the scent of the missing dog outside.
Worried homeowner Amy Smith, 31, scoured the streets of her housing estate late into the night looking for Lenny (pictured).
Amy’s father, Stewart Smith, brought his dog Alfie and, after sniffing Lenny’s bedding and toys at home, quickly picked up the scent of the missing dog outside. In the photo: Lenny and Alfie.
Amy is shown walking Lenny (left) and Alfie (right) and is delighted that they have found her dachshund.
Lenny was found in a bush near the train tracks, hiding out of sight.
Mr Smith, a 51-year-old firefighter, was holding Alfie’s leash and was “dragged” along the path to a bush near a rubbish warehouse where a disheveled-looking Lenny was discovered.
The six-month-old miniature dachshund was clearly delighted to be reunited with his relieved owner Amy, who burst into tears.
And as an added bonus, the two dogs seem to have become good friends as a result of the ordeal.
Amy, who works in customer services for Yorkshire Water, previously said her parents’ dog didn’t seem to like Lenny very much.
But now he is ‘very protective’ of the little pet and they get along very well.
“He was crying when we found him,” she said. “It was the first time he went missing and I was so happy to get him back. I literally didn’t sleep worried.”
Amy, from East Ardsley, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, said Lenny was tied up when they went for a walk at around 5.15pm on a Wednesday last month.
“We were out for about five minutes and he ran off. He had seen a cat and he got startled and I let go of the leash. He ran off with the leader chasing him from behind and I think that scared him.
“I yelled at him and started running, but since I was running after him I think that scared him even more. I eventually lost sight of him.
Amy called her mother Nicola, who joined her to help her search.
When he arrived it was 6 pm and it was getting dark. “I started to panic when it was getting dark,” Amy said.
Amy lost sight of her dachshund puppy when he ran off after chasing a cat, but Lenny was able to locate him.
Amy, who works in customer services for Yorkshire Water, previously said her parents’ dog didn’t seem to like Lenny very much.
The family believe that Alfie, a mixed breed dog (left), may have been involved in “hunting” with a previous owner who had died and the dog certainly enjoys chasing squirrels.
The area where Lenny disappeared last month
Alfie had no problem spotting Lenny and was able to locate the pup in no time.
“I looked for him for about an hour and there was no sign of him, so I posted something on Facebook and it was shared over 700 times.
“The people on the farm where I live were looking for him with torches.”
Amy abandoned the search shortly before midnight.
“I didn’t sleep thinking about places I could be and thinking about the worst,” he said.
But a 5 a.m. message from a local drone operator encouraged her to keep searching. The drone was sent to survey an area of forest, unfortunately without any sign of Lenny.
It was at this moment that Mr Smith arrived with Alfie.
They believe that Alfie, a mixed breed dog, may have been involved in “hunting” with a previous owner who had died and that the dog certainly likes to chase squirrels.
And he had no problem sniffing out Lenny.
“We were desperate at the time and willing to try anything, so we brought Alfie to my flat to snoop around. We went for a walk and found him within ten minutes.
Lenny was found in a bush near the train tracks, hiding out of sight.
After 24 hours on the run, Lenny was “wet” but otherwise unharmed.
“It was a huge relief and I’m so grateful to Alfie for finding him,” Amy said.