Simon and Caroline Hall were reunited with their beloved cocker spaniel, Bonnie, last month, more than six years after she was stolen from their Durham farm in the UK.
Bonnie, who was stolen from the couple back in May 2014, was miraculously found this November, some 200 miles away from home, in west Norfolk. It is thought that she was originally taken from them in order to be used for breeding.
Bonnie was found in somewhat of a bad way, wandering around Wisbech Park. Fortunately, she had been microchipped, meaning she could be traced back to her owners.
Simon, 50, was in his car when the dog warden rang. The news, though very welcome, came out of the blue after so long, leaving him stunned.
“He came into the house deadly quiet and just said ‘I’ve had a phone call—they’ve found Bonnie,’” recalled Caroline.
Simon, who wasn’t sure he could actually believe it all until he saw photographs of Bonnie, said: “Gosh knows what she’s been through, it doesn’t bear thinking about but at least we can get her back for a few more years and give her a bit of love and care and attention.”
Caroline had been prepared for seeing Bonnie look in a bad way but thought she actually looked “quite well,” and thanked the vets for taking such wonderful care of her.
The staff at Terrington Veterinary Centre had looked after Bonnie, who had probably not been treated at all during her absence—otherwise her microchip would have shown up.
They performed a hysterectomy, noting that her most recent litter had been within the last two months, indicating that she had definitely been used for breeding, probably up to two litters a year.
Caroline noted that despite it being Bonnie’s birthday, it would probably be a quiet one given the circumstances.
“We’ll now take her back home and introduce her to our other dog, Jessie, and just have a quiet night in front of the fire,” she said.
The Fenland District Council dog warden, Caroline Trigg, who also runs Ravenswood Pet Rescue at Walton Highway, was herself delighted to be able to reunite the Halls with Bonnie.
She shared: “With missing dogs, sometimes they go in the morning and are back in the afternoon—or a couple of days at most. I’ve never known a dog to have been gone this long before.”
Trigg noted that Bonnie had probably had a difficult time during her six-year-plus absence, and that the breeders would sadly have made a lot of money out of her.
She added: “But being able to get her back to her loving home is wonderful—just the good news we need this year.”
The Hall family, and Bonnie, could probably not agree more.
