Dog found alive and well after 10 days lost in the snow

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The family of a dog who went missing in the snowy mountains for 10 days say they are "elated" after their pet was discovered alive and well.

Red, a Welsh Border Collie, survived against the odds in harsh elements after she vanished during a walk in the heavy snow on Preseli mountains in Pembrokeshire on 28 December.

Her owners, the Thomspon family, feared they would never see their four-legged friend again but she was found yesterday by a pair of holidaymakers after a search and rescue operation lasting 10 days.

Caitlin Thompson, who had been walking Red with her father Richard on Foel Cwmcerwyn, the highest point of the Preselis, before she suddenly vanished, told The Independent the family were in "disbelief" that she had managed to survive on her own for so long.

"There were a lot of people around sledging due to the heavy snow but towards the end of the walk she disappeared," she said.

"I think she got disoriented as her hearing is poor due to her age. We looked all day to no avail, so that night I put a post on Facebook and hundreds of people shared it and offered to help search.

"The next day we did a massive search across the mountain with friends and people who kindly offered to help. We continued this daily and put up posters.

"We were really worried due to the weather being so bad and upset at the thought of her being up there on her own.

"Then, yesterday, I got a call from a woman who had found her and was in disbelief that she had survived for so long – we were all elated.

"The couple who found her, Sarah and John, were holidaymakers who had seen a poster and found her about a mile from where she went missing huddled by some rocks.

"She did amazingly to last so long. We took her to the vets immediately and other than severe weight loss she's doing well."

Caitlin, a student at the University of Reading, added that Red was now at home "eating lots and enjoying the warmth".