A woman who was left inconsolable after a thief stole her car with her dog inside has thanked the police for their help in reuniting her with her beloved pet and also managing to get her car back.
Sadie, a four-year-old chocolate Labrador, went missing when her white Ford Ecosport Titanium was stolen from her drive yesterday morning as she dashed inside to pick up her phone.
Her owner Susan Dunn has spoken of her joy at being reunited with her dog.
She said: “I walked outside to see the thief in the car, and I tried to open the door but he just drove off. I still had the car keys in my hand. From me running into the house and the car being taken, it must have been about 20 seconds.
• Update: Woman left heartbroken after her car is stolen with her dog inside
“My immediate thought was Sadie. She’s a softie and she wouldn’t have reacted to the car moving so I don’t think the thief would have even realised she was in the car. It was also very warm so I was concerned she’d get too hot.
“I was just praying that she would be let out the car and left somewhere but I was also concerned because she’s great on a lead but she’s not very aware when she’s off the lead. I was heartbroken. I couldn’t care less about the car, I just wanted Sadie back home.”
The theft sparked an investigation from Nottinghamshire Police, who worked with Susan to try and locate the car and the dog and they even used drones to help locate Sadie. An online appeal was also issued, which was shared more than 4,000 times.
Several other community pages also issued appeals, which made Sadie very hot to handle.
At around 6pm, Susan and her future daughter-in-law’s mother decided to go for a drive and to their surprise, after more than seven hours, Sadie was found tied up to a lamp-post in Hawton Road.
“It was by sheer coincidence that we found her,” added Susan. “I was absolutely over the moon to see her. She was wet through so I’m not sure if she had been in the car all that time. A passing member of the public said she hadn’t been there for more than half an hour. I was just so grateful to have her back.
“When we got home she was excited to see my son and his fiancé who had come round but she didn’t seem traumatised, she enjoyed being fussed over.
“I can’t thank Nottinghamshire Police and the public enough for their help. Seeing how many people were sharing posts pleading for her return just blew me away and I think it was the power of social media that helped a lot.
“Seeing the community come together and comment about possible sightings and sending words of encouragement was also so amazing to see. I can’t thank everyone enough for their help yesterday.”
The car was also recovered by Nottinghamshire Police after it was found around two miles away from Susan’s house.
Sergeant Mark Stacey, who is leading the investigation, said: “Our officers were very keen to reunite Susan with her beloved dog Sadie. We had officers searching in Newark and surrounding villages and we also deployed a drone to assist in our investigation. We are very pleased to hear that Sadie is back home where she belongs and Susan will soon be reunited with her car.”
He added the police are still appealing for witnesses to help them track down the thief, described as a white male, so he can be brought to justice.
The police are interested in speaking to anyone who saw a white Ford Ecosport Titanium in Newark yesterday, or who may have any dash cam footage or CCTV that can assist with investigation to contact 101 quoting incident number 217 of 24 August 2020.