Miracle dog's 60 mile car odyssey

The dog clung to the front of the car for almost 60 miles

A dog is recovering after managing to cling to the grille of a car for almost 60 miles.

The dog travelled all the way from Coleraine to Belfast, wedged in the front of a Peugeot 306.

The driver thought he had struck something on the dual carriageway outside Coleraine after hearing a thud, but when he saw nothing on the road, he continued unaware of his "passenger".

It was only when he got out at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast that he heard a barking sound coming from the front bonnet.

After such an ordeal, the dog was understandibly grumpy, and this attitude has earned him the nickname Father Jack, in honour of the cantankerous priest in the sitcom Father Ted.

The cantankerous dog has been named in honour of Father Jack

Jack was not wearing a collar, which has complicated matters for staff at the Earlswood Veterinary Hospital in east Belfast who are trying to trace his owners.

Veterinary nurse Emma McGowan said the dog was still obviously traumatised by his ordeal.

"When Father Jack was brought in to us, amazingly his injuries were rather minor. He has a bit of pain in his back and neck, but he has no fractures or ruptured diaphragm," she said.

"We found this quite amazing because he travelled all that way on the grille of a car on a wintry night.

"He was quite hypothermic when he came in. We warmed him up and he's been here recuperating ever since."

Despite receiving lots of care at the surgery, the vets say that Jack needs to go home.

They have appealed to his owner, or anyone who knows anything about him to contact the surgery.