A bullied dog which strayed ten miles from its owner has been found thanks to a Facebook campaign.

Bute, a rescue farm dog, sneaked off from owner Helen Parsons as she walked in Worthing on Monday evening (November 19).

A huge Facebook campaign was launched with more than 300 people sending messages to look out for Bute.

The dog had only come into Mrs Parsons’ care eight days earlier after being rescued from a centre. She had been taken from the farm where she worked because she was tormented by the other dogs.

Strangers responded to the Facebook campaign by reposting the animal’s picture online, putting up posters of her and searching Worthing and the surrounding area. One woman finally recognised Bute from the social networking site.

The two-year-old was in Arundel – ten miles from where she was last seen. The woman took her to a rescue centre in Climping, near Bognor, which had also heard about the Bute campaign.

Farmland adventure

Mrs Parsons, who lives in Cumbria and was visiting her children Paul and Kim Hughes who live in Worthing, collected her the same day.

The 58-year-old said: “It is amazing that she got so far.

“I think she took a straight line through farmland and ended up in Arundel.

“She probably bedded down in a farm as she is used to doing that.

“But from now on she will be safely on a long lead.

“I am so grateful that so many people went on Facebook and other social networking sites to find her. People actually went out and looked for her, which is wonderful.

“I really want to let people know how grateful I am. It is wonderful.”

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