A DOG owner said she was “blown away” after the community rallied to help find her lost pooch.

Kathy Murphy’s cross-breed chihuahua ran off after being startled while a friend was walking her near Tesco, in Cowley Road, Oxford.

But the pet was returned to her less than 18 hours later thanks to a titanic effort by the 42-year-old vet, her friends and the community.

About 700 flyers were distributed to late-night revellers, doormen and taxi drivers, while friends and well-wishers desperately scoured the neighbourhood and posted Facebook appeals.

Dr Murphy, of Marston Street, said: “I’m so grateful. I’ve been blown away by how great the community has been. It brought me to tears.

“Having lived in Oxford for a couple of years it’s easy to be cynical, but I was amazed how people came together.”

Despite the frantic efforts amid Friday night party-goers in the road, little Minnie was still AWOL overnight.

But thankfully their hard work paid off the next day when an eagle-eyed waitress at the Beetroot Cafe, in Cowley Road, spotted Minnie cowering behind bins at the nearby Tesco.

And having seen all the appeals shared among the community, 20-year-old Callie Clifford knew exactly what to do.

Dr Murphy, also owner of another cross-breed chihuahua, Dennis, said: “She had seen her hiding behind a wheelie bin on her way to work. She ran back to find Minnie still there, shaking with fear, and phoned me.

“As you can imagine a lot of tears of joy were shed by all.

“I carried Minnie back home and people came running over to congratulate us and meet Minnie. Some people were giving us high fives. One lady was crying with joy and said she had been worried all morning since she’d seen the flyer.”

Dr Murphy fostered Minnie last August from the Rottweiler Welfare Association, where she also volunteers as a vet.

At the time, Minnie had a kidney stone so big it completely blocked her bladder.

Dr Murphy said: “Minnie had been badly neglected before I had her and as a consequence she can be nervous and also has a kidney problem. So I was in a panic that she would be too terrified to come out of hiding and then would get sick.”

Waitress Ms Clifford, an Oxford Brookes University student, only realised that the tiny dog she had seen was missing Minnie because of the posters that had been put up.

She said: “It was just pure luck that I found her.

“I walked past a dog on the way to work and I didn’t think anything of it until I saw a missing dog poster at work and then put two and two together and realised I’d found her.

“I explained to my manager and left the café to go and find the dog. I then rang its owner and she was just so, so happy. She was crying a lot and so grateful. The dog was a bit shaky and scared but absolutely fine.”