Owner Vivienne Oxley from Plymouth had given up hope of finding Jarvis who went missing after a day out in a country estate in Cornwall. She searched for the dog in 865-acre Mount Edgcumbe park, Torpoint, with the help of volunteers.

After more than two hours she gave up and set off home.

But on the way, the park warden called her to say crew on the Cremyll Ferry that crosses the river had seen a Jack Russell on board.  The ferry makes the ten-minute crossing between Mount Edgcumbe and Cremyll Quay in Plymouth every half-hour.

After the phone call her husband Tony, 58, phoned to say Jarvis had arrived home - ahead of Vivienne even though their home is two miles from the ferry port.

She said: "I thought we'd lost him forever. But there he was, sitting in the window, wagging his tail as if nothing had happened. The staff on the ferry said he made several trips back and forth before hopping off on the Devon side. It's a big journey for a little dog."

She would have beaten him back home but she was handicapped by the sat nav.

Worst part was when I lost my whip.

The original was here.