There was delight on Thursday evening, April 7, when Ollie, the missing golden cocker spaniel, was reunited with his owners, Mark and Paula Fletcher from Rye.
The 17-month old spaniel had been stolen last week from Broad Oak Kennels in Udimore Road, leaving the owners, who had just returned from a short break, totally distraught.
Mark, a retired police officer, told Rye News: "Ollie was bought for my wife as a ray of light, and to provide emotional therapy. She is in very poor health and recovering from a breast cancer operation. She is absolutely distraught, and hasn't stopped crying since we received the phone call last Friday."
In what appeared to be a targeted theft, the intruder was caught on CCTV walking past other dogs in the kennels, including another spaniel, before selecting Ollie.
The theft was reported to Sussex Police with details including Ollie's microchip number, but it was probably the massive social media campaign to find Ollie that made the spaniel too hot to handle.
Ollie was found crying at someone’s back door in Brands Hatch. The lady recognised him from the Facebook campaign and rang Sussex Police whose rural team immediately made their way to Brands Hatch to bring him home.
"Paula is absolutely over the moon," a delighted Mark told Rye News. "Huge thanks to the lovely lady in Brands Hatch who recognised him, and of course, Sussex Police for their help. But the biggest thank you goes to every one of you who shared the news on social media and made Ollie famous - Bless you all."
