Dogs are said to be man’s best and most loyal friend – and in the case of Pero the sheepdog, the old saying is certainly true.
The lovable black and white pooch made an incredible 240-mile journey back to his owner after he was handed over to another farm for a trial. Pero was taken to his new home in Cockermouth, Cumbria, by farmer Alan James from the country village of Penrhyncoch, Wales, at the beginning of March.
But on April 8, Mr James received a phone call to say that four-year-old Pero had gone missing while herding sheep, and was nowhere to be seen. Twelve days later the father-of-five was shocked when he opened the front door to find his missing sheepdog 200 miles away from where he was meant to be.
The homesick herder had miraculously navigated his way home on an epic journey that averaged 20 miles a day. Mr James, 54, said: ‘It was amazing but we have no idea how Pero did it.
‘He must have a Sat-Nav in his brain.’
‘A sheepdog can go all day and cover a lot of ground. But it is a mystery how he found his way here. ‘We don’t know how he was fed or if he hitched a lift. ‘But it was incredible when he turned up on a doorstep.’ He added: ‘We would love to solve the mystery of how he managed it.’
Mr James and his wife Shan, 47, were so taken aback by Pero’s loyalty that they decided to welcome him home for good. Mrs James said: ‘He was very excited to be back both with the family and the other dogs.