By Mike Wright
September 24, 2009
DEVASTATION turned to joy for one Frimley Green family when their beloved dog was found safe and well almost three months after a suspected dognapping.
Pippa was returned to Donna Crick and fiancé John Gray after she was recovered by a dog warden in the Stoughton area of Guildford.
And there were tears of happiness as the pair learned they were going to be reunited with their eight-year-old black and white springer spaniel.
Pippa had disappeared from outside the family home in The Hatches on Thursday, June 25, and was found exactly 11 weeks later.
A man who had been walking along the couple’s road told Mr Gray he had seen two men bundling a dog matching Pippa’s description into the back of a van.
After contacting the police and dog charities, the family then embarked on a desperate campaign to get her back.
The couple set up a website, placed flyers around the area and began a search group for Pippa on Facebook which attracted more than 2,000 members.
But on Thursday (September 10), which was also Mr Gray’s birthday, the family received the call they had been praying for.
Pippa had been found by a woman in Guildford who came across her wandering around in the street.
The woman called the dog warden who scanned Pippa for a microchip that would reveal her owner’s address.
"Bit nervous"
“My partner took the call and he could hardly speak,” said Miss Crick.
“I was attending a meeting at my sons’ school and I flew out of the room in tears, I had to go back later and explain why.”
After the couple collected Pippa they did not tell their three sons, Toby, five, Brandon, nine, and Sam, 14, and just took her along on the school run.
“The boys were ecstatic but we had always promised them we would get her back," Miss Crick added.
“They always expected that she would be back.”
People who joined Pippa’s Facebook group have been adding to the family’s euphoria and congratulating them on the dog’s safe return.
Miss Crick also praised dog wardens in the area and said they had provided an excellent service while Pippa had been missing.
“They have really gone beyond the call of duty,” she said.
She added that Pippa was settling back into her old routines and enjoying family life.
“She just thinks she has been on holiday. She is a bit nervous at times and also not happy about other dogs.
"I think Pippa might have been kept with other dogs. If only she could talk.”
Source: http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2057784_familys_joy_as_missing_dog_is_found_after_11_weeks
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