A missing Dalwhinnie dog has been reunited with his owner after getting lost in the Highlands.
In a video posted to Facebook, Ben the border terrier can be seen nervously approaching his owner who was sitting on a quad bike.
After looking for a moment like he was going to run away, Ben eventually worked up the courage to climb aboard and reunite with his owner.
Watch the video here
While it was a joyful scene, a number of people wrote in the video’s comments that the owner should have run up to the dog and hugged him.
But Katie McCandless, founder of Missing Pets, Perth and Kinross Scotland said there’s a good reason the owner waited for Ben to approach him.
She said: “When it’s a missing dog they can get very, very overwhelmed to a degree of going into fight or flight. They may not recognize the owner at first.
“If the owner did the normal thing of calling their name and approaching the dog, that could push the dog away again just out of fright.”
Owner left clothing so missing Dalwhinnie dog could smell his scent
Ben had gotten lost around 5:30pm on Tuesday night during an ordinary evening walk in the Dalwhinnie area with his owner.
While his owner was desperate to find him, Katie McCandless, 37, advised him to leave a piece of clothing with his scent where Ben had gotten lost.
Ben and his owner also frequently rode together on the quad bike, meaning having the quad bike running was a familiar sound to Ben.
She said: “At first Ben looked like he was a bit unsure, he almost went to turn away and run, but the owner did exactly as we would recommend in circumstances like this. He stayed on the quad, left the engine running and let Ben come to him.
“Ben knew the sound of the quad and could pick up the scent of the owner, so Ben obviously had the confidence to come over. He was reunited with his dad who was over the moon.”
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