LUCKY Lexi the greyhound has proved it’s not just cats that have nine lives after she survived being hit by a car twice and roamed the streets without food and water for six days.

The mischievous miracle mut escaped from her owners’ garden in Nether Priors, Basildon, and went on the run for just under a week before she collapsed in a yard and was cared for by a plumbing firm in Burnt Mills.

After being given food and water she was rushed to an emergency vet who said she was just bruised and sore, and amazingly suffered no broken bones.

It was during her travels around the town she was hit, first on Broadmayne and then a second time in Long Riding.

Her owners, Chris Cooper, 26, and Ashley Taylor, 24, were desperate to find her, but say it wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for Basildon’s caring community.

Mr Cooper said once word got out through Facebook, the charity DogLost and Basildon Council’s dog warden, more than 20 volunteers, as well as local taxi firms, businesses and family and friends, were on the look out for the six-year-old former racing greyhound.

Hundreds of posters were also printed and circulated online.

Mr Cooper was in Basildon Hospital having kidney stones removed when Miss Taylor, who was at home caring for their 19-month-old twins Grace and George, told him Lexi was missing.

Although he couldn’t get out to help with the search, he manned the phones once he was back at home as so many calls were coming in from people who had seen Lexi.

Mr Cooper said: “We can’t thank everyone enough, I didn’t know so many people would get involved.

“DogLost was invaluable, without them and the dog warden we wouldn’t have got her back. She would have been dead by now, she was so run down.

“They say they’re quick dogs and they definitely are.

“She is normally good as gold, but she is extremely lucky, if I could change her name I would.”

Basildon Council’s dog warden, Sarah Moran saw Lexi get knocked down in Broadmayne and rushed to her aid, but she just got up and ran away.

A taxi driver then saw her the second time in Long Riding which provoked to a thorough search of the area and Lexi was sighted at the back of Holy Cross near the tractor plant, but still couldn’t be caught.

She eventually collapsed of dehydration and exhaustion in the yard where the caring plumbers picked her up and shut her in a unit with some water until Miss Taylor could pick her up.

Lexi went missing on January 31 and was finally found on February 5.