Mount St Agnes student Paul Douglas, 14, didn’t run into a burning building, or save a drowning person, but to Clare Marshall he is a hero.His sharp eyes spotted Ms Marshall’s beloved black Labrador retriever after the dog had been on the run for almost three weeks.“It was the day of the Round the Island power boat race and one of the boats came inside the reefs, very close to the shore and the incredibly loud noise frightened Uzi and he bolted,” said Ms Marshall who lives on the Ariel Sands Property on the South Road in Devonshire.“A friend had taken Uzi and another dog for a walk on the beach at Ariel Sands. Unfortunately, no one saw him run off, so we had no idea what direction he ran in. My heart felt literally broken. I know it is dramatic, but Uzi really is the baby of our family. He is wonderfully natured, very sweet, adorable but also very protective of us. Not knowing what had happened to him was the worst. We were imagining all sorts of horror scenarios.”A search started immediately, but he could not be found in the vicinity of Ariel Sands. Unfortunately, he was not wearing a collar or licence because he had been swimming. He was, however, microchipped.“The first night he was missing was a full moon,” said Ms Marshall. “I kept thinking that was a good sign, that he would be able to find his way home. Unfortunately, that night there was also a lot of thunder and lightning, something Uzi is especially afraid of. This upset me knowing that he was lost and alone in the storm. There was no sleep for me that night. Next morning, I was up early, and I called the radio station, printed off about 100 fliers.”Eventually, Ms Marshall turned to some modern technology for help, Facebook. She asked her friends and son Andrew Hook to post a picture of Uzi on Facebook.“The Facebook posting really exploded,” she said. “So many people were on the look out for him, friends, friends of friends and total strangers. Everyone was offering support. It really was amazing. Betsy Skinner of Petpals was very supportive. She posted it on Facebook and got a group of people together who came down to Ariel Sands on the Monday evening.”They searched along the coastline from Devonshire Bay to Mangrove Bay in Somerset, without any sightings. They did get word from a taxi driver that on the day Uzi went missing he’d almost struck the dog as it ran into the Brighton Nursery field on Brighton Hill in Devonshire, across from Ariel Sands.She was relieved to know he hadn’t drowned or been caught on any rocks, but was devastated that no one could find him. Unfortunately she had to leave the island for a time. She was still abroad when she received a phone call, nearly three weeks after her beloved pet disappeared.“I was feeling particularly low that morning,” she said. “A young boy asked if I was still looking for Uzi. To cut a long story short, he had been running on Middle Road in Devonshire that morning and saw a black dog hiding deep in the bushes. He had seen one of the hundreds of fliers we had distributed in his particular neighbourhood.”She immediately called her son, Mr Hook, in Bermuda, and he called the spotter, Paul Douglas. They went to the bushes and marsh land on Middle Road next to Howard’s Grocery. It was an area they had all searched many times before. Mr Hook had to crawl through bushes with his arm in a sling following shoulder surgery three days prior.“As soon as Uzi heard his voice he literally jumped onto Andrew,” said Ms Marshall. “Meanwhile back in the United Kingdom we were sitting, crying, waiting for news. After 30 minutes from receiving Paul’s call I finally received a message from Andrew ‘I’ve got him’. Those were the three words that brought the 22 day nightmare to a sweet end.”Uzi was taken to Endsmeet Animal Hospital. Vets there saw him straight away, although it was the Labour Day holiday. Apart from being dehydrated and ten lbs lighter, some war wounds and being very smelly he was allowed to go home immediately.“Our reunion at the airport was perfect,” Ms Marshall said, “despite him still stinking after two baths. He is doing really well now. I would say he is pretty much back to normal. I took him to the vets for a follow up.“His wounds healed well, he has put on weight. He is no longer the fussy eater of old. I also had him tested for heartworm just to be on the safe side. I bought a new shampoo and he now smells perfectly doggy.”Ms Marshall went to see Paul and thanked him personally. She also gave him a reward.“He is a lovely 14-year-old boy,” said Ms Marshall.“We had a long chat and he let me give him a huge hug and kiss. It goes without saying, that we are all so happy to have Uzi back home where he belongs. I have tried to thank everyone I know that helped, through their repostings, e-mails, and so forth. I’m sure there are many I don’t know.”Paul Douglas is one of the Island’s most talented young footballers. Last year he spent 10 days training with the Youth Academy players at English Club West Ham United alongwith another youth academy player, Amar Lewis.