Shih tzu Minnie reunited with owners after two years
- Published
Shih Tzu Minnie reunited with owners after two years
A dog has been reunited with her owners two years after thieves stole a truck she was sleeping in.
Minnie the shih tzu was in Oliver Clough's parked vehicle while the farrier was working in Hatfield, South Yorkshire in June 2016.
A thief jumped in the truck and drove off. It was found two weeks later on an estate, but Minnie had gone.
Mr Clough's partner Carrie Ryan said she was in "floods of tears" when told Minnie had been found alive.
The dog was eventually tracked down in a village just over six miles away.
Ashley Granter found Minnie and reunited her with owner Carrie Ryan
Ms Ryan said the couple were "devastated" by the theft and as well as contacting the police had put appeals on social media and enlisted the help of a group dedicated to finding lost pets.
The post was shared more than 7,000 times on Facebook.
Ms Ryan said: "The months passed and then the years passed and you try not to lose hope, but not knowing is torture.
"We'd had her for 10 years; it just wasn't right without her - the house was empty."
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In the past two years Ms Ryan said the family had been contacted by people who thought they had seen Minnie, but the trail led nowhere.
She added: "Then a week last Tuesday we just got a phone call which absolutely changed everything."
Minnie was tracked down thanks to an old Facebook post
Minnie was spotted on a road by Ashley Granter in Blaxton, near Finningley.
He took her to Mayflower Animal Sanctuary where her chip was found to be out of date, but an old Facebook post gave a clue to Minnie's identity.
At the reunion Ms Ryan said Minnie had lifted her head and recognised Mr Clough's voice, then pawed him.
"Then she came over to me and pawed me as if to say 'where've you been?'"