Reggie the terrier cross has been reunited with his family after his disappearance sparked a huge community search effort across Farnham.

When Reggie went for an unauthorised wander in Farnham Park on Friday, April 17, owners Daniel and Denise Booysen were left panicking.

For the next five days they searched desperately — but they were not alone. Farnham rallied round, looking for Reggie, sharing social media posts, putting up posters and searching for him themselves.

Mr Booysen told the Herald: “Reggie got spooked and bolted and then went to ground. It took until day five for someone to spot him in Roman Way. He must have gone to the eastern corner of Farnham Park and come out by The Six Bells pub, crossed the road and gone into the estate.”

A member of the public who had been following Reggie’s story saw him and alerted the Booysens, but Reggie was scared and hid.

The breakthrough came when the family secured the help of Lost Dog Tracking Network Surrey, a volunteer organisation which uses trained scent dogs to find missing pets.

Mr Booysen said: “We went to Roman Way with Sarah Archer and her amazing scent dog River, and gave River something with Reggie’s scent on it.

“She started immediately and we followed her to a house which she was very interested in. A neighbour let us into their garden and while River was sniffing around, Sarah and I were just talking.

“Suddenly this little head popped up in the next garden and there was Reggie, yelping and barking. The little guy had heard my voice. I jumped over the fence and picked him up.

“Reggie is now home recovering with us. He is being treated for a harness wound sustained during his five days outside but he is safe, loved and very much back where he belongs.

“When we shared the news that Reggie was home, the response on social media was overwhelming. Hundreds of messages of joy flooded in from people across the local community and beyond who had followed his story every single day — people who had never met us but who had been willing Reggie home with every share and every post. The outpouring of emotion when he was found safe was a testament to the power of community and the bond people feel with animals. Reggie had become everybody’s dog.”

Mr Booysen added: “We really want more people to know about these incredible ladies and their scent dogs. There are just five women with their dogs and they are just volunteers. They need more members, they need funding and support.

“We hope that by sharing our story we can reach other desperate families who have lost their dogs who may not know this help exists and raise awareness of the incredible work these volunteers do and encourage people to support them before they ever need them. If our experience can help even one family find their missing dog then sharing it is absolutely worth it.”

The Lost Dog Tracking Network Surrey can be found by searching online.