Firefighters who rescued an elderly Border Collie from a marina after he went missing six days ago think the dog had swum across the River Tyne.
A rescue operation was mounted to get him to safety after he was spotted in the water at Hebburn Marina, South Tyneside, at midday on Tuesday.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service shared a photo of the dog on social media after taking him to a local vets and someone who had read a Facebook appeal about Toby recognised him.
His grateful owner, from Walker, Newcastle, on the other side of the river, went to pick him up from the vets.
Toby went missing on January 17.
A fire service spokeswoman said specialist kit, including a dog bag, was used to get Toby safely out of the water.
She said: “Because he was originally lost in Walker and turned up in Hebburn, there’s no doubt he must have swum across to try to get to shore.”