A family has welcomed home their beloved dog after it was feared stolen when it went missing more than six weeks ago.

Shadow, an 18-month Shar Pei, went missing on the west Dorset coast after she slipped out of her harness during a walk between Golden Cap and Eype on May 9.

Amber Whiting and her family spent hours each day searching the area, but to no avail, and it was feared that Shadow had been stolen.

However, Shadow was found on Eype Beach on Monday evening and was reunited with his family, although he is very unwell, has a broken leg, has a feeding tube and is on a drip and is having to undergo surgery.

Amber said: “He had a stomach full of bones, twigs and stones and had an operation to remove the blockages and has pulled through. These would have killed him if not removed.

“His leg is in a sorry state, it may need braking and resetting, and the word amputation was also put in conversation, but I can’t think that way yet.

“He lost over half his body weight too and the vet thinks he broke his leg going over the cliff and has laid hidden for weeks. The back leg has healed badly but he obviously made his way to Eype beach - it’s a miracle really.

“It is heart breaking to see him in such a way, he has been so strong surviving this long. He deserves a long and happy life after this.”

Although the whole family are over the moon to have him home, there is a long road to recovery for Shadow.

Amber added: “We went from this massive high of finding him to the shock and upset seeing just how broken he is. Emotionally we are all over the place

“The sight of him physically made me feel sick and you can feel every bone in his body. The kids were scared of touching him in case it hurt.

“We walked and searched for weeks and we’ll never know how we didn’t find him.

“There’s lots of tears, both happy and sad.”

Friends of the family have set up a Go Fund Me page to help pay for Shadow’s treatment as Amber did not have insurance for him.

If you would like to donate, visit http://bit.ly/2NdGTED