A BELOVED pet dog has finally returned home after a six-month stay at a West Devon veterinary centre.

The dog's owner, Kevin Kodritsch, returned home one day, last October, to find his pet, named 'Wolf' collapsed and unable to walk in the garden of their home in the Maristow Estate, Roborough.

Kevin said: 'At first I had no idea what had happened to him, the only clue came when I found car skid marks on the lane leading into our yard, just at the point where Wolf generally sits in the sun. The lane is a private drive that only leads to the farm, so we don't know who did it.'

Kevin and his wife Becky contacted Westmoor Veterinary Centre in?Tavistock, who agreed to treat 'Wolf'.

His back seemed to have taken the brunt of the impact from the vehicle, but x-rays showed no obvious damage.

After spending a weekend in intensive care, Wolf's condition stabilised. Further x-rays finally revealed two broken front legs.

Wolf, a six-year-old Irish wolfhound cross bearded collie, has now completed six months in the veterinary centre as he needed to be kept completely still following a number of intricate pinning operations.

Becky said: 'He had always been a fit, active dog prior to his accident — he would accompany us out across the moors with the horses and he loved dog agility and regularly competed in horse and hound competitions at local shows with our daughter Alice and her pony Bod.

'It was a testament to his fantastic temperament that he managed to adjust so quickly to being caged.'

Wolf's owners expressed thanks to the partners and staff at Westmoor for all they had done for him.

During a brief period of unemployment earlier in the year, the five dog insurance policies had been cancelled. Staff at Westmoor were understanding and did their best to keep costs under control, said Kevin.

Wolf will still needs careful monitoring for a number of months, so he will be spending each day in the office at work with Becky.