Bella, samoyed husky

Dognapped Bella is back -- thanks to Herald reader
By Caitlin McBride
Wednesday July 29 2009

The owner of a missing dog has been reunited with her beloved pet after a tip-off from a Herald reader.

Joelle Fagan has been reunited with her dog Bella who went missing two weeks ago.

Joelle Fagan's white samoyed husky, Bella, had been missing for two weeks after she was snatched from the family's driveway in Raheny.

And to add to Joelle's worries, she also received a number of hoax phone calls about Bella's whereabouts, as well as a ransom demand.

However, that has all been put aside following Bella's safe return home.

The Fagan family were left heartbroken after their dog disappeared and their distress was deepened after they received a ransom call last week.

"Somebody called saying they had our dog and had been offered €300 for it -- they wanted to know what we were willing to pay," said Ms Fagan.

However, when the family alerted gardai, they were able to trace the call and track down the culprits who admitted to knowing nothing about the missing dog.

Prior to Bella's recovery, the dog's owners had followed every tip and potential sighting which ranged from the Dublin suburbs to Kildare.

But yesterday morning, the Fagan family went from distressed to delighted when they received a call from a Kildare resident who had taken in a dog and realised it was Bella after reading about her 'dog-napping' in the Herald.

ABANDONED

"I am delighted that it is our dog and she was taken in by a very kind lady beside the Curragh in Kildare," said Joelle.

And although Bella is not up to her normal strength, she is in good health.

Joelle explained: "A woman found her on her doorstep in the rain after she had been abandoned by the kidnappers. Her hair is matted and she's a little thin, but other than that she is fine.

"It is fantastic to have her back. I can't thank everyone enough for their help -- so many people supported us when she was missing.

"I really couldn't have done it without the support of the Herald and all the volunteers in the DSPCA and Animal Rescue Dublin."

There has been a worrying increase in the number of dog-related crimes in recent months. Pet detective Robert Kenny believes they have "increased by 15pc over six to seven months because of the recession".

Source: http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/dognapped-bella-is-back--thanks-to-herald-reader-1845163.html
Printer-friendly version here