After more than two weeks in the bush Merlin the kelpie cross has been found alive after she fled from a Queensland car crash that killed her owner.
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Merlin was in the car when Simon Hannan, 34, was killed in a two-vehicle traffic crash last month in the North Burnett region, some 400km northwest of Brisbane.
She fled from emergency services when they arrived and the subsequent search triggered widespread community support to track her down.
Dog experts told the family Merlin's behaviour is common for dogs that have experienced trauma
An online post from Mr Hannan's stepfather David McDougall about the crash and Merlin's escape was shared more than 17,000 times.
Rotisserie chickens, other food and Mr Hannan's clothes were placed near the crash site on the Burnett Highway to draw her out.
But it was the bed Merlin shared with Mr Hannan that brought her back to civilisation, Mr McDougall told AAP on Tuesday after she was captured.
"It was time for Merlin to come home," he said.
He said the bedding was placed in a trap about 50 metres from the crash site.
"It's amazing how their instincts work," Mr McDougall said.
"At the moment she's probably the most loved dog in Australia."
He said he's been blown away by the public support and was glad to see "a positive from a fatal crash" and thanked a ranger and a farmer credited with tracking and capturing Merlin.
"Those two men have been instrumental," Mr McDougall said.
"It's something central Queensland can be proud of."
He hoped it might give the wider community and the emergency service crews and doctors who worked to save Mr Hannan a "lift".
Mr McDougall said the family had set up an online crowdfunding page to pay for Merlin's vet fees and transport her to Western Australia, where he and Mr Hannan's mother live.
Australian Associated Press
