A pet dog that was stolen six years ago and forced to breed has finally been reunited with her owners.
Simon and Caroline Hall lost Bonnie the cocker spaniel in May 2014 and have been distraught ever since.
They had both given up hope of ever seeing her again, but she was miraculously found 200 miles from home in Norfolk.
After receiving a call from a dog warden, the couple, from Durham, were reunited with Bonnie the day before her 10th birthday.
They said they ‘just can’t believe it’ as they shared heart-warming footage of the moment they cuddled Bonnie for the first time in six years.
Caroline, 48, said: ‘It was only a couple of years ago that I gave up hope but I was still checking all the lost dog sites. It’s all a bit surreal.
‘I’d prepared myself for the fact she might look in a bad way but actually she’s looking quite well. I know the vets have taken wonderful care of her.’
It’s thought Bonnie was stolen to breed, and Terrington St John Veterinary Centre, where she underwent a hysterectomy yesterday, believes the most recent litter was within the last two months.
Caroline said Bonnie had a ‘beautiful character’ and would sit pitchside until their young son Robbie had finished playing rugby.
She added: ‘We’ll now take her back home and introduce her to our other dog, Jessie, and just have a quiet night in front of the fire.
Simon, 50, said: ‘Gosh knows what she’s been through. It doesn’t bear thinking about but at least we can get her back for a few more years and give her a bit of love and care and attention.’
Dog warden Caroline Trigg said she was delighted to reunite the Halls with Bonnie.
She said: ‘With missing dogs, sometimes they go in the morning and are back in the afternoon, or a couple of days at most. I’ve never known a dog to have been gone this long before.
‘I think Bonnie’s had a hard time with the breeding side. Someone has made a lot of money out of her, which is very sad.
‘And she has clearly never been to a vet’s over those six-and-a-half years or her chip would have been read.
‘But being able to get her back to her loving home is wonderful, just the good news we need this year.’
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