Four months ago, two of Verity Auldist's dogs - Tyson and Keith - went missing. The kelpie, Tyson, was the family's "best working dog" and so they presumed the pair had been stolen for that reason. Five weeks after their disappearance, Keith was handed in at the Orange pound, five hours and more than 450 kilometres away from Ms Auldist's home near Hay.

But Tyson was nowhere to be seen.

"We just assumed that we wouldn't be getting him back ever again," she said.

"We just hoped that someone else was taking good care of him. We probably assumed that he'd been picked up and used as a cattle dog."

Months went by and there was still no sign of Tyson; that was until he was spotted wandering in someone's backyard in Orange. With his collar having been removed, Tyson was taken to the Orange pound, who were able to identify him through his microchip.

"We couldn't believe it," Ms Auldist said.

But they still had one more problem, which was how to get Tyson back home.

That's where Cudal's Malcolm McDonald stepped in. He volunteered his time and services to pick up Tyson from the pound, keep him sheltered for a few days, before he drove to Hay on Saturday, June 4, to deliver him back to his adoring family.

"We had to put a coat on him because it's a bit colder here than in Hay," Mr McDonald said with a laugh.

"He was in cattle class in the back of the vehicle, but about a quarter of the way he decided to upgrade himself to first class in the front seat next to me. I must try the same thing I get on Qantas the next time."

When asked why he took it upon himself to carry out the good deed, Mr McDonald said it was no big deal.

"We run cattle, so we've got dogs of our own. You can relate to it and I'm sure they would've done the same thing for us," he said.

"They had probably given up Tyson for lost or dead because such a large period of time had passed. It's helping people out, that's the reward and there should be more of it. Sometimes it bites you on the bum, but most of the time people appreciate it."

So after more than five hours of driving, the time had nearly arrived for when Tyson and his family would be reunited.

"It was funny, because as we got closer, he got more excited," Mr McDonald said.

"I'm not saying the dog knows his directions or knows geography, but he just seemed to sense that he was heading home.

"The family and quite a number of locals gathered around when we turned up. Tyson was extremely excited. He was all over them."

And while Keith the Jack Russell has since been relocated down to Melbourne to "live a life of luxury" with Ms Auldist's family, it's back to work for Tyson.

"We could tell that wherever they were, both of them were well looked after which was nice of us to see," Ms Auldist said.

"If anything, Tyson's probably a bit fat for a working dog."

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