EXHAUSTED, starving and trapped in a hole under a fallen tree for six days, Zeus the dachshund is now home safe after almost one week in the wilderness.
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Zeus was found on Saturday night by his owner Tam Oates after wandering off from the family property on Monday.
A huge search effort by the family, as well as their neighbours and the community, paid dividends when Ms Oates pulled him from the hole he had been stuck in, literally digging him out with her bare hands.
Mrs Oates said the family have had Zeus, their miniature sausage dog, for about 11 months. He is one of a number of family dogs, and she said it's not unusual for him to walk with 'Precious' their fox terrier, around the property.
But at 4pm, when the dogs would normally greet her children from the school bus, Zeus was nowhere to be found, and when he didn't turn up for dinner, the family were worried.
They started searching at 6.30pm Monday evening and stayed out until well dark using torches, with no luck. Tuesday morning the family were out searching again, but they couldn't find Zeus.
Mrs Oates said she was amazed they didn't kill themselves when they were out searching, as they went through creeks, blackberry bushes and in rabbit warrens.
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By Wednesday still nothing, though Mrs Oates said she could still hear a dog barking.
"It was like a flurry of little barks and then he would stop."
They did a letterbox drop and neighbours, who also helped, rang to say they could hear a dog barking near the creek.
On Saturday night they had all but given up hope of getting him back, when a neighbour called to say she had also heard a dog barking earlier that day.
So armed with her torch and phone, Mrs Oates went for one last look; searching through trees that had come down and ground that had caved in under the week's heavy rain.
"It was like a needle in a haystack. I'd call him and there was no reply. But then I'd hear these little barks. I'd yell out 'I'm coming' but he was too tired to bark back."
She said he rallied one last bark and she found him stuck in a hole under a huge gumtree, with only his face protruding.
"Only his head was visible, he couldn't do anything he was struggling to keep his eyes open."
Not even able to call for help or identify her location, she had no choice but to dig him out with her hands, and then get him back to the house where he is now recovering.
She thanked everyone for their help saying by Saturday, they had all but given up hope of finding him.
She said Zeus is staying close since coming home.
"He slept with us last night, and from now on he won't be going anywhere," she said.
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