Rotorua dog Scamp found and returned to owners after dog park attack

Scamp's home.

Heather and Ken Kelly thought their beloved Chinese crested papillon cross had gone off to die after being attacked and are "beyond happy" he has been found.

Scamp was missing for five days before being spotted about 1.5 kilometres from home, frail and "frightened" but alive.

The Kellys wanted to thank the community of Rotorua and the Rotorua Daily Post for spreading the word about their missing dog.

"He's doing good," Heather Kelly told the Rotorua Daily Post.

Heather Kelly with her dog Scamp, who went missing for five days after being attacked. Photo / Andrew Warner

When their 14-year-old pet disappeared from their home last week, they thought they might never see him again.

Kelly said Scamp had been attacked and bitten by an uncontrolled larger dog at the Scion dog park last Monday.

The couple were both injured as Scamp tried to escape the dog but a vet later gave him the all-clear. Kelly believed, however, Scamp was in pain and "hurt inside".

When he disappeared the next day, she thought he had "taken himself off somewhere to die alone".

Heather Kelly said she and Scamp would be avoiding dog parks for now. Photo / Andrew Warner

The couple dropped notices in mailboxes and their neighbour posted on the community Facebook page. The Kellys received about half a dozen phone calls, but none of them led to being reunited with Scamp.

So when Kelly picked up the phone on Sunday night, she was not expecting good news.

"But it was a kind person telling us they thought they'd seen Scamp," she said.

"We were driving home from Auckland and we couldn't believe it.

"We were asking ourselves, 'Could it really be our dog?' and, 'Is he going to be okay?'"

The caller told her that they had seen a dog matching Scamp's description on the property next door.

"It was him. It was amazing."

Scamp was about 1.5km from home when he was found. He was uninjured.

Kelly said Scamp was frail and still "frightened" but she was happy to have him back where he belonged.

"He is alive and he is really frail but he is home," she said.

"We're going to make sure he doesn't disappear from under us. He's going to be either inside or on a lead."

Kelly said they would be avoiding dog parks for the foreseeable future.