A heartbroken family have been miraculously reunited with their stolen puppy – who was found 170 miles away.
Mother-of-three Sophie Dann was horrified when a man who claimed he had come to view their puppy in Gloucestershire on December 30 suddenly grabbed the six-week-old Labrador pup and drove off.
Her partner managed to track the thief down through Facebook to Huntingdon – leading Sophie to contact Cambridgeshire Police.
The force rescued the puppy just 12 hours after its owners got in touch with the information they’d found – and picked him up 170 miles from its home in the Ramsey area of Cambridgeshire.
‘It was horrible,’ Sophie told the Daily Mail. ‘We spent four days without him.’
‘It absolutely blew up on social media. We found all the information we needed and handed it over to Cambridgeshire Police, who were absolutely amazing.
‘We now call the puppy Charlie Romeo, after the police nicknamed him Charlie.
‘We also want to do something special for him, so are considering donating him to the force as a thank you.’
Charlie Romeo was miraculously found 170 miles away from his home and returned to a Gloucestershire family on January 2
The black Labrador pup was stolen by a man who claimed he was coming to view the puppy
The family say they are delighted to have a happy ending, but are warning other breeders to be cautious
Dominic, Sophie’s partner, explained how he tracked down the thief, saying: ‘I went on a bit of a mission – I remembered when I first met him at the front door, he’d told me he was from Northampton, so I went straight to that area and made a post on Facebook.
‘I ended up going down nine different Facebook groups, and drove three hours there and back to get him home.’
The family are relieved to have their beloved pup back, but warn other breeders and owners to be careful to avoid the same heartbreak.
‘We want justice and to spread the word to anyone else going through breeding to be cautious and learn through the mistake we’ve gone through. It’s crushing,’ Dominic said. ‘But it’s a miracle story really!’
Sophie added: ‘Our kids are scared when someone comes to the door and we now sleep with the puppies in the front room.
‘It was a lot of emotional turmoil but we’re very thankful that we’ve had a happy ending and got Charlie back.’
Cambridgeshire Police said on Facebook: ‘Thanks to some great teamwork, the puppy was tracked down safely, and one of our officers happily did a bit of puppy‑sitting until the owner could come and collect their very relieved (and very cute) pet.
‘We’re pleased to say this little one is now back where they belong.’
The force added: ‘Sometimes police work comes with the best cuddles.’