Dog rescued after 24 hours in the freezing Peak District

Guy Beggs' dog, eight-year-old Gracie, went missing when he was on a walk with her in the Peak District on Monday, January 2.

According to the dog owner, the pair visit the area for walks quite often, and normally stick to the same familiar route.

Guy regularly goes out on the Peak District with Gracie (Image: Guy Beggs)

However, when on a walk at the beginning of the new year, the pair took a detour to a hilly part of the area, and the weather suddenly changed, bringing a large amount of snowfall in a short space of time.

Without warning, Gracie disappeared from sight, and would not respond to any calls from Guy.

Guy took to social media to post about the event, asking if anybody had seen his beloved pup - he did not ask for anyone to help in the search for his dog, knowing the conditions were not favourable.

Despite this, he says his post was shared more than 12,000 times in just two hours, with masses of volunteers descending upon the Peak District to assist in the search.

Included in the number of volunteers was someone who travelled from Leeds with drones that were equipped with thermal imaging cameras to help find Gracie.

Guy told the Warrington Guardian: "I was completely overwhelmed by the support, it was amazing.

"A local farm even opened a cafe to provide food and drinks for the volunteers searching for Gracie.

"By the time we eventually found her, she had been out in the open for nearly 24 hours."

Guy explained that a pair of dog owners who were also in the area had sat down for a breather, and had let their spaniel off its lead for a run around - the spaniel managed to sniff out Gracie, to Guy's delight.

Unbeknownst to Guy, his pet had wandered off the route during the snowfall, and had fallen into a deep crevice, unable to get herself out.

Gracie is now thankfully happy and healthy again (Image: Guy Beggs)

Guy explained that a small group of volunteers had to fashion a makeshift ladder out of dog leads in order to get into the crevice and rescue the beloved pooch.

After a big feed and a bowl of water, Guy says Gracie was shaken, but alright - within 10 minutes of walking back down from the Peak District, he says she 'acted as if nothing had happened.'

Guy is now using the ordeal as a way to raise awareness for the use of GPS units on dogs when out walking in cases such as this - he says that a local rescue group were vital in securing the safe return of his dog.

Another point made by Guy was the fact that this could have happened to a child out on a family walk, highlighting how important safety is in the area.

More information about the local rescue group - K9-SAR - can be found on the group's fundraising page here.