TAILS were wagging at the Weir household when Murphy the Bernese mountain dog was reunited with his owners.

The family are finally back together following a heartbreaking two-and-a-half weeks apart after an excitable Murphy ran off from owner Dennis Weir who was walking him in the moors above Rivington off George's Lane.

Mr Weir, aged 76, suffered a fall and bang to the head as Murphy pulled at his lead while chasing after sheep, before realising that his beloved dog had vanished.

Despite Mr Weir and his wife Margaret's best efforts to find him before their holiday to Central America, which they had been planning for a number of months, Murphy was nowhere to be seen and the couple were faced with the prospect of never seeing him again.

But after news of his disappearance went viral on social media thanks to the couple's daughter in law Bernadette, a family from Delamere, Cheshire, contacted her with the news he had been found.

The couple, of Malvern Close, Horwich, returned home on Saturday and gave Murphy a hero's welcome.

Mr Weir said: "It is times like this that really make you realise that there are some good people in the world. We are eternally grateful to the family for getting in touch.

"We couldn't believe it when we got back and were told that Murphy had been found. We honestly didn't know whether we would see him again.

"When Murphy pulled me over I was slow to get to my feet and couldn't see him anywhere. I hunted for ages and shouted his name but he didn't come. He's a big part of our family and we were devastated, so to have him home when we returned was the best news we could ever have had."

News of the six-year-old beloved pooch's disappearance caused the story to be shared on Facebook and Twitter, with the hashtag #FindMurphy.

Mr Weir said: "Our daughter-in-law Bernadette was a great help and came up with some wonderful ideas such as using Facebook to get the message out. We weren't sure about going on holiday but it had been booked for a good while and we knew she would do her best to find him.

"We were really touched that so many people gave up their time to look for Murphy and we are both eternally grateful to everyone who has helped us get him home."