AN ESCAPED rescue dog that has been running around the Furness peninsula and the Lake District for over a month has died despite the best efforts of a canine rescue team. 

One-year-old Oscar was a Golden retriever mix rescued from Romania that was brought to England on September 9. He was in the care of a family in Kirkby-in-Furness until September 20, when he escaped after opening a window. 

Oscar's owner Rosie Coward contacted Mackenzie Leder from Kenzie's K9's Animal Search and Rescue Team (also known as Kenzie's K9s). Ms Leder said that Oscar had had very little human contact and that he was in 'survival mode' so could not be caught by hand. 

For the next month, the team tried to bring Oscar home by setting up a humane trap with kidneys, tripe and sausage. There were a few times Oscar seemed ready to take the bait, and Ms Coward said that Oscar could have been caught if he had one more day. 

READ MORE: Missing dog Oscar has been running around Furness for nine days

Tragically, on Thursday, October 26 Oscar got stuck on a cliff face and then fell to his death. The animal search and rescue team said that this was near Wrynose and Hardnott pass. 

Mackenzie Leder said that a mountain rescue team had been dispatched to try and save Oscar, but was spooked when he saw the crew members above him. She said he died instantly. 

Ms Coward said she was 'absolutely devasted': "Not the outcome we all were praying for. He's had a mega journey for the last month. Kenzie's canines have been amazing, out everyday setting feeding stations and traps. Sadly being so scared of people he's ran and ran."

Kenize's K9s is a group of volunteers from Egremont, which meant that they had to travel an hour to reach the area. Ms Coward expressed her desire for a south Cumbria 'Oscar division' of the team named in his memory. 

She put an appeal on Facebook for volunteers to start south Cumbria's first animal search and rescue team. This would include an administrator, searchers and people with knowledge of how to set up traps and to fundraise. 

She said: "The more volunteers we have the better it will be, looking out for each other's animals."