A PAIR of heroic rescuers have been praised across social media after finding a puppy that had been lost in the Lake District for more than two weeks.

Zeus the 10-month-old Bordeaux Mastiff went missing on the fells on August 31 and was finally found yesterday by Jez Starkey and Adam Briggs. His story had gone viral on the Facebook site I love the Lake District, and the pair took it upon themselves to use their knowledge and skills in scaling the fells to go and find him.

Sharing their story on social media, Mr Starkey said: "Myself and Adam Briggs purposely went out this morning to find Zeus, I'd of been out earlier but I've just got back from my holidays. Anyways we followed the track up to Place Fell and were sure we heard a large dog barking. We pinned it down to the Rooking Gill area under Steel Edge.

"We summited Place Fell and Adam being a fell runner zig zagged all the crags up there and I looked in the underneath while we shouted and whistled of Zeus sometimes hearing a faint bark. We then went back on ourselves over to the top of Rooking Gill where we heard the barking and some other walkers also confirmed that they had heard the same coming from the bracken.

"Adam took the rhs and also ran down the middle of the gill and I took the left hand side through the high bracken, shouting and whistling as we went. Then Adam came across Zeus near the bottom of Rooking Gill. And shouted me over."

Zeus' rescuers described him as have been very scared, with his lead severely tangled in bracken that was only allowing him to move around two feet. Once reassured with a chicken sandwich and taken to a stream for some water, he soon "perked up", Mr Starkey said.

Members of the social media group have confirmed that despite losing some weight, Zeus has been checked over by a vet and seems otherwise well.

Thousands of people from all over the UK have liked and shared the posts celebrating the rescuers' efforts. Among those wishing them well, the Langdale Chase Hotel have offered them a free lunch.