A couple whose dog was stolen more than seven years ago have said it was a “dream come true” when the RSPCA reunited them.
Rita and Philip Potter, from Norfolk, said they “never gave up hope on her being found one day” after thieves stole their labrador Daisy from their garden in November 2017.
The theft inspired online appeals, and 100,000 people petitioned the government to increase efforts to prevent pet theft. In 2024 the previous government passed the Pet Abduction Act, which included a maximum five-year prison sentence for offenders.
Kim Walters, an RSPCA inspector, found Daisy, now 13 years old, with untreated mammary masses more than 200 miles away during routine investigations in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, on 2 February.
After taking Daisy to a vet, the inspector discovered the labrador’s microchip, where she found contact details for the Potters. The couple could barely contain their emotion when Daisy was returned to them at their home in Old Buckenham on Thursday.
Rita Potter, 80, said she and her husband were “so, so grateful” to the RSCPA for reuniting them with Daisy, adding their pet would be given “lots of love and attention”.
“We kept a photograph on the mantlepiece and would look at it every day, thinking of her and where she might be. So it is an absolute dream come true that the RSPCA found her and have returned her to us – where she belongs – we are so, so grateful,” she said.
Walters, the inspector who found Daisy, urged anyone with information about the theft to contact the RSPCA or the police.
“I was a bit choked from listening to them and clearly how much they loved her, so it was great telling them that we could get her back home soon once we had made sure she was fit enough to travel and we had arrangements in place for the four-hour journey to take place,” she said.
Witnesses said they saw Daisy being bundled into a truck near the Potters’ house by suspected backyard breeders. Backyard breeding is described by the RSPCA as “the irresponsible breeding of animals in inadequate conditions with insufficient care”.
The couple reported the incident to the police, but the vehicle’s number plate could not be traced.
The theft of Daisy was reported far and wide and even gained the attention of Hollywood actor Tom Hardy, who shared the couple’s social media posts.
“We know she is elderly now and has health issues, but whatever time she has left, she will now be surrounded by lots of love and attention,” Rita Potter said.
“The whole family was so excited to hear the news that my grandchildren went to buy her toys and treats – she also now has not just one but two comfy beds.”
