'It’s almost impossible to put into words how I feel' - the magical moment a dog stolen from near Harborough was reunited with his owner

An overjoyed woman has spoken of her sheer delight after she got her stolen pet dog back just in time to celebrate his third birthday.

Liz White, 68, said she was ecstatic to get her cockapoo Logan home after he was cruelly snatched from a boarding kennels on Station Road, North Kilworth, during the hours of darkness.

Her beloved “baby” was found running around near Coalville yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) following a massive social media campaign criss-crossing the East Midlands.

Logan was amazingly recovered and reunited with Liz and her husband David four days after he was taken by thieves in the early hours of last Friday (February 12).

“It’s almost impossible to put into words how I feel getting Logan back home with us.

“And to top it all he’s back just in time to celebrate his third birthday with us today,” said Liz, of Burbage, near Hinckley, this afternoon.

“He’s such a beautiful boy and it’s been such a heartbreaking few days for us all.

“Logan means the world to us – he’s our baby.

“So to get him back home with us – it’s just absolutely brilliant.”

The lifelong dog-lover said she had put Logan and her other dog Nell, a seven-year-old rescue terrier cross, into kennels because she’d had to go into hospital suddenly for an emergency operation.

“I’ve used the kennels many times and I’ll use them again – although no doubt they will be reviewing their security after this.

“When the lady called me to say they had bad news I never thought for a moment that one of them had been stolen.

“I simply could not believe it – it is so unbelievable,” said Liz.

“Luckily the guard dog there kicked off and started barking or I fear the thieves would have gone back to steal Nell as well as our two dogs were sharing.

“What sort of people would go out deliberately to steal someone’s much-loved pet dog?

“And what sort of person would want to buy a dog from them knowing it had been stolen?”

Organisations such as East Midlands Dog Rescue and Beauty’s Legacy, which hunts for stolen and missing pets, immediately launched a huge rescue mission.

And after days of intense social media activity, they finally located Logan running wild in the village of Heather, near Coalville, yesterday.

He was safely recovered just hours later as volunteers from Beauty’s Legacy and East Midlands Animal Rescue tracked down the charming little cockapoo in nearby open countryside using a drone.

“It was one of the best days of my entire life when they told me that they’d found Logan and were bringing my little boy home.

“He’s just such a sweetie.

“And I want to say an enormous thank you to each and every one of the hundreds of people who have helped to search for Logan in one way or another,” said Liz.

“The public response has been magnificent.

“It’s just fantastic to know that there are so many good people in the world as well as the not so good.

“It’s incredible the outpouring of love and support that we’ve had and I can’t salute people enough.”

Asked if home-again Logan would be getting a special birthday treat, Liz replied: “People keep asking me if he’ll be getting a cake.

“But I don’t bake so he won’t be having cake.

“He’ll be getting a new collar and a new tag.

“And Logan was muddy and smelly when we got him back.

“So he’ll be making a special trip to the dog groomer’s as well on Friday – although I’m not sure how much he’ll enjoy that!”