A three-legged dog that was missing for eight months is finally back home after the paw prints he left on the snow helped rescuers find him.
Kinnick, a three-year-old Labrador mix, was found yesterday morning after he went missing eight months ago when he found himself "in an unfamiliar area".
Rescuers from Paws of Hope Animal Rescue said the white dog was rescued "from a horrible situation" as he was possibly used as a bait dog.
He was left with only three legs after suffering severe injuries, they added in a Facebook post.
When he moved into the home of his new, loving family, the dog escaped during a walk with his owner Annabell, probably because "something spooked him", searchers said.
Despite being rescued and loved, Kinnick is still scared of people and other animals, said Paws of Hope Animal Rescue.
Their Facebook post added: "He knew his routes, he knew where the food bowls for other critters were, and he knew not to stay in one location too long, but would venture back, almost seemingly on purpose as if he was trying to throw us off.
"He didn't fall for our live traps. He just headed on to a bowl left out for other animals. And passed up the dog food, steak, sometimes roast, chicken, you name it, he wasn't falling for it."
The team found Kinnick's three-legged paw prints after the first snowfall - and set up cameras as well as a food station where most prints were.
Rescuers also thanked the Iowa community for their help in finding the dog.
Last year, we reported the extraordinary story of a dog who was returned home to her owner after being missing for seven painful years.
Sprocker spaniel Flash, 11, was reunited with heartbroken owner Emma Drewett, 49, after being rescued from a breeder.
Gamekeeper Emma said the wait was a "living hell" not knowing if her much-loved pet was safe, or even alive.
Flash was stolen in 2015, with Emma and her teenage son Luke fearing they would never see their pup again.
A nationwide appeal proved fruitless and the family’s hopes waned over the following seven years.
Emma said "thousands" of people helped to share missing posts all over social media - but the search turned up nothing.
But incredibly, Flash was found by a kind dog lover almost 200 miles away from Emma's home in Little Marlowe, Bucks.
Emma was contacted by a woman called Michelle who lived in South Wales who had bought Flash from a local breeder.
But after a check-up at the vets, Michelle discovered the elderly dog belonged to Emma and her family.
