After an epic four-month struggle for survival, a family's treasured poodle has been reunited with his owners following a daring escape from their garden. Three-year-old Blue bolted on August 15 and vanished, leaving Christine Lee and her father Rocky fearing the worst.

Against all odds, on December 6, Blue was found in a nearby woodland, incredibly having endured the tough autumn and onset of winter feasting on scraps, and even weathering the explosive Bonfire Night celebrations. The poor pooch was barely recognisable; his once gleaming white coat morphed into a dirty brown, and he had become alarmingly skinny, reports the Mirror.

"We honestly didn't think we would see him again," said 29-year-old Christine from Greater Manchester. "He'd been gone for so long and it's been so cold with fireworks going off. He must have been terrified."

Upon being found, Blue was practically unresponsive until he heard Christine call his name, which prompted an affectionate lick of her hand. "His coat was badly matted and his skin red where it had got infected," she recounted. "He's had a bath now and is back to normal, but he was very lucky."

Key players in Blue's remarkable return were the Greater Manchester Lost Dog Search and Rescue Capture Team, who, after a recent sighting on December 4, installed a camera and left out food, leading to Blue's safe return home. Michelle Newns-Peers, who heads a group dedicated to finding lost dogs, detailed the careful strategy that brought the dog back home: "We placed a feed station and live camera near to where he had been seen and a scent trail mix leading to the food.

"Approximately an hour later he turned up and fed. The following day, Friday December 6, we replaced the feed station with a humane trap laced with appetising food and settled in our cars to wait.

"At 11.04pm, he turned up at the trap, walked around it once and went straight in. The trap door shut and he was finally safe. Once safely inside a house, we let him out of the trap and he went to me and buried his head in my chest. He was so scared, bless him, but he wanted comfort. He had been lost for four months and survived out there all this time."

Blue was finally reunited with Christine and Rocky after his microchip was scanned. In light of this, Christine emphasised the importance of keeping microchip details up-to-date. "Please keep your dog's microchip details updated and stay positive," she said. "There's always hope so never give up."

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