Back home safe and sound – the Hampshire family of dachshund Bertie have praised the power of social networking after their beloved puppy went missing.

Bertie, who is nine months old, ran off during a walk in Micheldever Woods near Winchester.

His family launched an Internet campaign to track him down and four days later he was found four miles away at a farm in Northington.

Bertie is owned by Nicki and Michael Pudney, who own the city’s Enigma Hair Design.

They have two little girls, Izobelle, nine, and Millie, five, and an older son, Ben, 25, who lives in Winnall with a family of his own.

Nicki said: “The support we got was unbelievable.”