Bury St Edmunds dog owner 'over the moon' to be reunited with Red the poodle who went missing last Tuesday

The owner of a poodle who escaped from a garden last week is 'over the moon' now that she has been reunited with her beloved pooch.

Karen Woodward, of Barton Hill, Bury St Edmunds, was 'heartbroken' last Tuesday when Red escaped from her garden due to an unlocked gate.

But thanks to social media and Drone SAR for Lost Dogs UK, Red was captured last night with the help of a little bit of KFC chicken.

Terry, from Drone SAR, a volunteer group which assists owners in finding their dogs, used drones to be able to search wider areas.

At around 3.30pm yesterday, Red was spotted on Barton Stud in Great Barton, but when he failed to respond to Karen's calls, Terry decided to set up crates and cameras, with KFC chicken as a lure, to capture the runaway dog.

Within minutes of the crate doors shutting, Karen was reunited with her dog and was able to speak to Red again.

Karen said: "It was a very emotional reunion between me and Red. I spoke to him from the outside of the pen first, gave him my smell and then when he realised who it was he got very excited.

"Life was on hold for a week and it's a relief, I'm happy.

"I really feel for people who have lost their dogs and haven't got them back in the time that we have because you don't realise how much you love a dog. The relationship between a dog and a human is such a special one. I'm just over the moon," she added.

Karen would like to thank all the people that shared her posts on social media and the various organisations that helped her find Red.

"I'm really grateful for all the different organisations and public support because ultimately that's how we got him back," she said.

"These volunteers, these kind people that are doing this in their own time, they are the real heroes. And we want to support them in the future if we can."

Karen will be taking Red to the vets today as he is limping and his paws are sore, but he is okay

To find out more about Drone SAR for Lost Dogs UK visit the website here or the their Facebook.