Bomber and Brad reunited

A search and rescue dog stranded in the United States for more than two months amid the Covid-19 outbreak has been reunited with its owner.

Bomber, a curly-coated retriever, was reunited with Brad Saville at Queenstown Airport yesterday morning.

Saville, a ski patroller, was in Colorado with Bomber undertaking avalanche training as part of a ski patrol exchange programme. Saville made it home to New Zealand on a separate flight and had been trying ever since to Bomber home.

Bomber, escorted off the plane with a LandSAR employee and police officer, burst through a set of doors dragging the handler behind him, running to Saville’s open arms.

Saville said he was ‘‘pretty stoked’’ to be reunited with Bomber. ‘‘To finally get him home is a big weight off the shoulders. I’m pumped.’’

Bomber did not appear to have gained any weight on his ‘‘holiday’’ – just a few extra curls, Saville said.

Saville said he had an amazing support team in Colorado who had cared for Bomber while they were separated. ‘‘It’s been pretty rough. Especially when I found out he wasn’t able to make it back initially. I was pretty gutted.

‘‘It’s hard times but everyone is going through the global issues in their own way and this is just my story and the way I had to carry on and deal with it, but we prevailed. We made it home.’’

They were going to spend all day together and be reunited with Cliff – his Labrador brother who was waiting at home.

The pair – based in Queenstown – were going to be back on the mountain fulltime from Monday to resume training, Saville said. ‘‘[Bomber’s] been on holiday – it’s time to get back to work.’’