Stolen dog reunited with family in Bridgwater after three years

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crr274l20pro

Version 0 of 1.

Dachshund Archie was reunited with his family after three years

A dog owner says it is incredible to have been reunited with her stolen Dachshund, three years after he went missing.

Sue Johnson's dog, Archie, was stolen three years ago but is now safely back home in Bridgwater, Somerset, after the charity Beauty's Legacy, which helps reunite people with their pets, was able to locate him on Tuesday.

Ms Johnson said she was "extremely grateful" to everyone who had helped in the search, adding Archie was well looked after while missing. "When you have lost a dog, you search every day, every dog. You go out in the car and you look at the dogs passing. It sticks with you all the time."

Avon and Somerset Police are investigating what happened to Archie.

Ms Johnson says Archie has been well looked after

Ms Johnson added: "He hasn't been roughly treated, he's been well looked after. I'm thankful to whoever was looking after him."

Lisa Dean, senior animal welfare officer at Beauty's Legacy, said it was rare to find a dog after so many years.

She said: "We're getting more and more success across the country but it's still quite rare to go three years and then find a stolen dog.

"What we always say to people is: vary your routine. People need to know not to leave their dogs in cars, not to leave them unattended."

Avon and Somerset Police said they were "delighted" that Ms Johnson was reunited with Archie.

"New information relating to the case has been passed on to us and we have potential new lines of inquiry to review," a spokesperson added.

Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.