Christchurch earthquake: Dog reunited with owner after running away scared

Rosie the staffie ran away scared after the quakes. Photo: Christchurch City Council, Facebook

A dog spooked during yesterday's earthquake has been reunited with her owners after jumping nearly 4m from a second-storey window and bolting down the street.

Morgan Thomas and his partner returned to their house in Redcliffs yesterday evening after the 5.7 magnitude quake to find Rosie, the staffie, was not at home where they had left her.

"We came home at about 8.30 and were like 'where's our dog'," Mr Thomas said.

He said all the windows and doors had been closed and locked except one on the second storey, which they leave open every day to get a good airflow going for their 4-year-old dog.

"[She jumped] from the second storey. It's 3.8m high and she jumped out. It's the only way she could have got out the house."

Mr Thomas, who owns a plumbing company in Christchurch, said they searched for Rosie for about an hour, searching the places they usually took her for walks, before their flatmate called to tell them she'd been found.

"We were thinking the worst when we couldn't find her. We were relieved to find out she was all right."

A Christchurch Council Facebook post was responsible for reuniting the family.

"That's ours!!! going to get her now," commented Mr Thomas' flatmate after seeing the council's post saying a tan and white staffie had been found in Redcliffs.

Rosie reunited with her owner. Photo / Supplied

Mr Thomas and his partner collected Rosie from the pound by 9.30pm and despite her big jump she escaped relatively unscathed, with just one small graze on her face.

"She's a bit more sheepish today actually, yesterday she was excited to see us but she's not moving too much today," he said.

A member of the public found Rosie just 500m down the road from their house and took her to the local vet, who checked her and found her to be unhurt.

He said he wanted to thank the person who found Rosie for looking after her and helping her make her way back to him.

Mr Thomas and his partner were living in the same spot in Redcliffs during the 2011 quakes and he said while he wasn't too badly shaken by yesterday's earthquake, his partner was still a little bit upset.

"The house is fine. It was a bit of running for the door [yesterday] like old times."