A six month old Cocker Spaniel named Poppy who was stolen from her home in Northamptonshire woke up in her own home today once again after a tip-off on social media led police to her.
Poppy was taken on 21st September and within hours her owners launched a social media campaign to ask dog lovers to look out for her and share any news or sightings they might have. It was this initiative combined with sharing her story far and wide which led to the couple receiving information Northamptonshire police were able to act upon visiting an address in Northampton.
Speaking from her home, Poppy’s owner Gilly who has praised police for taking them seriously told K9 Magazine, “We are over the moon to have Poppy home where she belongs. I was bowled over at the sight of the police officers bringing her to the door, emotionally and nearly physically by our other dog, Tumble. He was so excited when he saw Poppy that he nearly sent me flying!”
She continued, “The last 10 days have really opened our eyes to how prevalent dog theft is. It’s a massive issue that causes no end of heartbreak and distress. It was a comfort to know that Poppy was microchipped and that all her details were up to date. Anibase told us that 90 per cent of chipped dogs are returned, even when stolen, and this did help keep us positive in the days Poppy was missing.”
Wanting to thank everyone who got involved, Gilly said, “We cannot thank everyone enough. For all the people who liked, shared and commented on our posts, to all the leads we were sent and of course our local community police who took the case so seriously. We are so grateful to everyone. The post pinned to Poppy’s Facebook page while she was missing was shared over 56,000 times and has been seen by 2.7 million people. It’s really good to see social media being used in such a positive way.
“Poppy has been checked over by her vet and been given a clean bill of health. Apart from being a little on edge for an hour or so in the evening she is just happy to be home with her friend Tumble and enjoying her walks. They haven’t really stopped playing since Poppy came home last night.
“Poppy is a very lucky little dog to be home. The way people rallied around and went out of their way to help us – many of whom were complete strangers – really does confirm that we are a nation of dog lovers.”
Enter your email and never miss out on receiving our best articles:
1 comment
Really happy for you , to find you lost dog, I knew it was a really hard several days when she was not yet found. Kudos to the police