Couple reunited with dog stolen more than seven years ago in ‘dream come true’

A couple who never gave up hope after their dog was stolen more than seven years ago has said it is a “dream come true” after the RSPCA reunited them.

Rita and Philip Potter from Norfolk said they “never gave up hope on her being found one day” after their beloved pet Daisy the Labrador was stolen from their garden in November 2017.

The theft sparked social media appeals and a petition urging the government to do more to tackle pet theft.

Daisy, now 13-years-old, was discovered more than 200 miles away by Kim Walters, an RSPCA inspector who carried out routine investigations in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset on February 2 and found the Labrador with untreated mammary masses.

The inspector took Daisy to a vet and checked her microchip where she found contact details for Mr and Mrs Potter.

The couple struggled to hold back tears after Daisy was returned to her former home in Old Buckenham on Thursday.

Mrs Potter, 80, said she and her husband are “so, so grateful” for the RSCPA reuniting them with Daisy, adding their pet will now 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.

“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.

“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.”

Daisy’s theft was widely reported after witnesses claim they saw her being bundled into a truck near their home by suspected backyard breeders, who make profit from breeding animals that are often in unsafe conditions.

The couple reported the incident to the police, but the number plate could not be traced.

Mr and Mrs Potter were part of several social media and press appeals to locate Daisy, which earned support from actor Tom Hardy after he reshared their post.

The couple also campaigned for the government to do more to tackle pet theft and set up a petition which attracted more than 100,000 signatures.

In 2024, the Government passed the Pet Abduction Act law which could see perpetrators face a maximum five year prison sentence, a fine, or both.

Ms Walters, the inspector who found Daisy, said she was “a bit choked” after reuniting the dog with her owners and 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.

Andy Cook, behavioural welfare adviser at the Brent Knoll Animal Centre, the RSPCA branch in North Somerset where Daisy was cared for, said: “It seems Daisy has been used for backyard breeding and she has a number of mammary masses, she has slight hip dysplasia and her coat was quite dirty when she came to us as though she had not been groomed for many years.

“She is quite elderly for a Labrador at the age of 13 and we think she is deaf, but she is adorable.

“She really is the sweetest girl and will wag her tail whenever she sees you but since she was stolen it is clear she has had a hard life.”