Tobi, the dog who found his way to his elderly owner who was admitted to a nursing home in Spain

Tobi cannot bear to be separated from his owner, Luis Jorrín, who four years ago was admitted to the Fundación Residencia de Ancianos San Francisco, in Reinosa, Cantabria. And Luis of course misses the company of his best friend.

A few days ago Tobi ran away from his home, following the trail of another user of the old people's home, and waited by the door of the building until Luis was brought down to see him and they were able to cuddle. "He came here to see me," said Luis.

A degenerative illness meant that Luis, who jokes that he is "eighteen years old, but backwards," had to leave his wife Yoli, Tobi and home. He does however get to visit them frequently. "When I go to see them, the little dog doesn't leave my side. He's been with me since he was born and we've never been separated, he's always by my side. So now he misses me. I miss him a lot too," Luis, added.

The nine-year-old black and white mongrel ran away from home and went out into the street in search of Luis. Luckily for Tobi he came across another resident of the San Francisco residence who was out for a walk. Her smell was familiar to him and he followed her for a kilometre and a half through an urban area, with cars and pedestrians everywhere.

Witnesses saidhe kept his distance from her through Parque de Cupido "We think the dog was familiar with the smell of the residence. The woman went for a walk at half past five in the afternoon and before six o'clock the dog was already here, sitting waiting, respecting the electric doors that open and close automatically, watching people come and go to the reception," explained Virginia Arenal, a physiotherapist at the residence who recognised Tobi and let Yoli know that the dog was there. "She was already looking for him, she was worried," Arenal explained.

Arenal spends a lot of time with Luis doing rehabilitation excercises and knows how fond he is of animals. "He feels a great affection for them, has great anecdotes and boasts that Tobi is a good guardian and that he loves him very much, as we have been able to see with the surprise visit he made to the centre," said the health worker. She added that she believes the loyalty of dogs to their owners "is the purest form of love that exists, their loyalty does not depend on your mistakes or your successes, they are simply there, present and constant".

Luis' secret

"When they told me that Tobi was at the door of the residence waiting to see me, I was very excited, although I was also worried that he might have been run over on his adventure," said Luis, who explained how as soon as he saw him his dog "went crazy" and started wagging his tail and licking him in the face. "Shall I tell you a secret?" asked the octogenarian on the other end of the phone. Sure. "If I could, right now, as soon as I hang up, I'd run away from the residence to be with him too."