"Do you recognise this dog or his collar? A "terrified" Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was found frantically running across Porthpean Beach yesterday in the blistering 25°C heat" read an urgent appeal shared to Facebook.
Beachgoers believed the dog had been left pacing in search of his owners, after they had packed up and left the area.
Urgent help
Paige - who runs the Porthpean Beach Shack - took the dog in, offering him food, water and shade while they waited for help to arrive.
He was then moved to the local vet, where the team scanned for a microchip. At first there were concerns the microchip wasn't registered, but he was soon reunited with his worried family.
The mystery unfolds
The situation sparked outrage online. "Why would you take a dog to the beach, that poor fur baby" wrote a viewer.
"If nobody came looking for him, they clearly don't deserve him. Poor little chap!" shared another.
But things weren't quite what they seemed, with his owners stepping in to share their side of the story. "We genuinely understand that people acted out of concern for Bo and with good intentions" his owner told Cornwall Live. We believe in trying to assume the best of others' intentions and we had hoped the same grace might have been extended to us before assumptions and accusations escalated online".
His owner went on to explain that their beloved pup had become separated from them during a "stressful misunderstanding" between family members where a large party went different ways. In actual fact, Bo had had access to a cooling blanket, a large umbrella and access to the sea during his time with them. They had been present on the beach until 1.30pm looking for him.
Thankfully the little dog is now safely back where he belongs.