A dog who fell overboard during a storm has been reunited with its owners after swimming up to “two days” to reach dry land.
The remarkable four-legged survivor was handed over to her owners - who thought they may never see her again - by police who had the lost pooch handed in.
Jolie appeared last Friday on a beach in Aguilas near the south-east city of Murcia in Spain and was left with local police by well-wishers who found her.
Officers discovered she was wearing a microchip fitted in Denmark and after taking her to a council-run rescue centre were alerted to a call from a woman saying the daughter of a friend had lost her pet dog during a storm while she was sailing to Ibiza.
The miracle rescue had a happy ending with a reunion between the dog and its owners earlier this week as police confirmed they believed Jolie had been swimming “one or two days to reach the coast.”
More than 160 nautical miles separate Aguilas on the Spanish mainland from Ibiza, although it was not clear on Thursday where exactly the animal went overboard.
A spokesman for Aguilas Local Police said: “Last Friday night a family that had been on the beach handed over a dog to us which they had found on Cope Beach in Aguilas.
“We discovered it was wearing a microchip from Denmark.
“The animal was taken to a shelter and work began to find its owners.
“In the meantime a call was received from a woman in Cadiz, informing us she had received a call from a friend in the States telling her about an incident involving her daughter.
“That daughter was sailing in the Med with her husband and dog Jolie and were heading for Ibiza and were caught up in a storm that led to Jolie falling into the sea.
“They tried to find it and rescue it but to no avail.
“Thanks to the microchip it was confirmed the animal that had reached Aguilas was Jolie, the same dog that fell into the sea.
“Her owners were given the good news and they headed to the nearest port which was Calpe north of Benidorm and a few hours later were in Aguilas to pick Jolie up.
“Jolie is a real survivor. It’s estimated she could have been swimming one or two days to reach the coast.
“A lovely ending for an incredible survival story.”
