Arnie’s back: Mildenhall dog who went missing after M11 pile-up found at Audley End House six days later

A beloved pet dog who ran off from a car involved in a pile-up on the M11 north of Bishop’s Stortford, has been found after a six-day search by his desperate owners from Mildenhall.

Arnie, a three-year-old rescue dog, was travelling in his owners’ vehicle when he was caught up in the crash on the northbound carriageway on Wednesday, November 29 at about 5.50pm.

Lucy Anne Morton, whose mum and stepdad own Arnie and were injured in the accident, said the family searched all night in freezing temperatures to try to find him, unsure if he would survive the cold.

They continued to scour the area around Audley End for days after the treasured hound was spotted in woods nearby.

It was while searching in a field near the English Heritage-owned stately home on Tuesday afternoon (December 5) that Lucy received a call to say Arnie had been found in the walled garden on the estate.

“One of the gardeners spotted him and another ran to shut the big gate,” said Lucy, who lives in Bishop’s Stortford.

“I was with my parents and drove to get him. They opened the gate and he ran to my parents.”

Lucy said Arnie was clearly delighted to see his owners and they were all in floods of tears.

“To get him back is so amazing,” she said. “We’re so thankful to everybody who worked so hard to get him back.”

Soon the lucky pooch, described by Lucy as kind-hearted and soft, was back home and being pampered by his owners.

“They dote on him – they love him so much,” said Lucy. “I think he’s going to be really spoilt.”

She said her parents were recovering well from the incident, which involved four vehicles on the northbound carriageway while there was also a crash on the southbound side.

Revealing how Arnie had escaped, Lucy told the Indie: “My stepdad had opened the door to check the dog was OK after the crash and he just bolted.”