Eight-month-old Toto alarmed his family, the Smiths, after he wandered off while on a walk along the Black Esk Reservoir early on Christmas Eve.
Owner Tommy, who described the pug/Yorkshire Terrier mix as a ‘hairy pug’, says the family were distraught but remained hopeful he would turn up.
He said: “When he went missing we all felt quite upset but certain he was only lost and not injured.
“Initially we just had a group of us searching around the area he was last seen from around 10 am until about 9 pm the day he was lost.”
And the family looked to Harvey’s Army, a charity which aims to help dog owners be reunited with their pets, for help.
Tommy, a marketing manager at Moffat based Cost2Build UK, said: “On Christmas Day, after some ad- vice from some guys at Harvey’s Army, we left some food and some of our clothes to try and draw him out.
“On the day it felt like part of the family was missing and I felt guilty that I couldn’t do more to try and nd him.”
The family were up bright and early on Boxing Day combing the area for any trace of their beloved pooch.
Tommy said: “We found him on Boxing Day morning. Almost as soon as we got to the forest we saw him on the track but he ran back into the forest. But my mum and I just waited around the area and he came out again so l walked towards him slowly and went down to my knees and eventually he came towards me.
“He seemed to be OK, he was slightly wet but it seemed he was sheltered in amongst the trees.
“He was certainly hungry but when are pugs not hungry? He seemed to be more tired than anything.”
Tommy added: “Everyone was de- lighted to have him home, it com- pleted Christmas for us all.”
For more information and support if your dog goes missing visit: harveysarmy.com.
