Safe return for Hertsmere pooches

A pair of dogs residing with their owners in the London borough of Hertsmere have been safety returned to their owners after the area's dedicated dog warden tracked down the pooches.

Both owners feared the worst when they returned to their homes to find their canine friends missing, but sterling work from pet detective Lesley Lee saw both pets returned to where they belong.

A border terrier was stolen from the mobile home belonging to her owner Peter Jones, who kept four dogs in total, although the thieves were only interested in three-year-old Beryl.

Mr Jones and his daughter Charlotte Monk spent a day anxiously anticipating any news and were thrilled to receive a call explaining the terrier had been found safe and sound following a call from a member of the public.

"She was the only female and we guessed she had been taken for breeding. They didn’t realise she had been spaded," said Mrs Monk.

"Beryl is hardly the most street-wise dog, but she hasn’t got a mark on her. Without Lesley, we may never have seen her again."

Just four days earlier, dog warden extraordinaire Ms Lee also made Damien Redfern the happiest man in the world for returning his Jack Russell Sonny, who had been taken from outside a Budgens store.

In spite of a huge appeal involving newspapers, posters and an online campaign, the seven-year-old mutt remained lost for almost a month. Even a callout on the Alan Titchmarsh TV show failed to yield results.

However, Lesley's efforts saw Sonny reunited with his owner, meaning this particular animal interest story had a very happy ending.

While Ms Lee emphasised that Hartmere is generally a friendly place for dogwalking, she added that the stories reveal the importance of getting pets microchipped.

"Both were lovely, friendly dogs and I’m so pleased I was able to reunite them with their owners," she added.

Published 27th February, 2013

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