HUSKY sled racer Matt Hammersley this week paid tribute to how social media helped retrieve one of his dogs which went missing at Speech House on Sunday afternoon.

Matt and his wife Ems were packing up after a race in the woods near Speech house when one of his team, Squeek a grey and white Siberian Husky ran off.

Attempts to retrieve the dog failed and in desperation Matt posted an appeal on Facebook.

He included a picture of Squeek, details of the area where she vanished and a number of contact numbers.

The result far exceeded his expectations with dozens of concerned animal lovers turning out in the dark to comb the woods around Speech House and Mallards Pike.

Eventually Matt and Squeek were reunited in the early hours of Monday morning.

“It was incredible,” said Matt, who runs the Apex Outdoor shop in Berry Hill. “At one point there were dozens of people looking for Squeek, including two girls in their pyjamas.

“When Squeek bolted there was no chance of catching her as these dogs can run at speeds of 30 or 40 mph.

“There were even people bringing us flasks of coffee and fresh head torches when our head torch batteries began to fade.

“I was totally overwhelmed by the response and cannot thank everyone who helped, enough. They were brilliant.

“And since we recovered Squeek we have received messages of congratulations from people as far away as Australia and Spain.

“It just goes to show the power of social media.”