Miracle dog Einstein has tearful reunion with owners after seven weeks lost in SA scrubland

Against impossible odds, Einstein the dog has defied death in the wilderness and been reunited with his QLD owners in tearful reunion scenes.

The miracle dog who survived seven weeks in the SA scrublands was all squeals and yelps in a tearful reunion with his interstate owners on Monday afternoon.

Einstein, the 12-year-old Maltese cross had disappeared into bushland northeast of Adelaide after running off on September 19 when his owners were visiting friends in Houghton.

After a 49-day dog-hunt led by locals and volunteers who had spent weeks checking sheds, walking the Anstey Hill trails, putting up signs on every pole, dropping posters in letterboxes of every house — a breakthrough came when a young couple spotted the little dog while out on a walk two weeks ago and recognised him from circulated posters.

Since his rescue on November 10, Einstein has been receiving treatment from Tea Tree Gully Vets, until he was healthy enough to make his way back to Queensland in the loving arms of his owners.

Jeff and Sue Johns, who have owned Einstein for seven and a half years, said that the reunion was a “ridiculously long time coming” and they were “very, very relieved” that their ordeal was over.

“Sue was in tears a lot,” Mr Johns, 77, said.

“I don’t go down that path as much. But I certainly felt the emotion, I was over the moon.”

Little Einstein was still weak from his seven-week ordeal, but was ‘very happy’ to see his owners again. Image/Russell Millard Photography

The couple made up for lost time with their beloved pup, crying and hugging him close, after their three-day long drive down from Queensland to Tea Tree Gully Vets.

“(Einstein) was very happy to see us. He responded in every way,” Mr Johns said.

“But he’s still weak … my wife was holding him and he closed his eyes and went to sleep,” he said.

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget this, I’m sure Sue won’t forget this experience,” he said.

More than a dozen people — all volunteers, friends and well-wishers — were present to see the heartwarming embrace between the pup and his doting owners, including his previous owner who raised him for the first five years of his life.

Director and founder Lost Pets of South Australia Christine Robertson was also present at the reunion, with her team of volunteers and locals playing instrumental roles in keeping track of the little pooch during his seven-week ordeal.

Jeff and Sue Johns said they were ‘over the moon’ to be reunited with their beloved pooch. Image/Russell Millard Photography

“When you see this sort of thing that you just realise all the hours that you put into it and everybody and everyone’s help involved in doing it, it’s just all completely worth it,” she said.

“You know so Jeff was pleased obviously, but if you saw the look on Sue’s face and the tears that she had, you think to yourself, it’s worth every single minute”.

Einstein, who weighed 9.5kg, had lost more than half his body weight when he was found and was dehydrated.

Since receiving treatment at Tea Tree Gully Vets, Einstein is still on a slow path to recovery with Mr and Ms Johns vowing to never leave his side.

Mr Johns said this experience had left him “overwhelmed” at the lengths that strangers have gone to help reunite them with their little pooch.

“I’ve been towards Queensland a lot in the last 30 years that I’ve been living there,” he said.

“But being born and bred here makes you proud to be South Australian again.

“The people that we’ve encountered here through all of this, they’re what you call salt of the earth people, and that’s all you can say.”

Originally published as Miracle dog Einstein has tearful reunion with owners after seven weeks lost in SA scrubland