A pug stolen 14 months ago has been reunited with her owner after being found more than 200 miles from home.
Nellie was just weeks old when thieves snatched her and her mother Coco from Marie Ling’s garden in Norwich in October 2014.
Mrs Ling, 54, feared they were lost forever and was “ecstatic” when she received a call two weeks ago to say she’d been found in Burnley, Lancashire.
Practice manager Sonia Billington gave her the news and said: “She was totally ecstatic. She was absolutely thrilled to hear that we had her and arranged to come up the next day.
“I wasn’t here when she came up and collected Nellie but all the nurses said it was wonderful. It just had a very good feeling.”
Nellie was found by a concerned member of the public in Burnley on December 7, more than 220 miles from Norwich.
They took the dog to Oakmount Veterinary Centre in the town where staff scanned her microchip.
The chip was unregistered and so they contacted the veterinary surgery where she was given the chip and the police to track down her owner.
They managed to trace Mrs Ling and practice manager Sonia Billington told her the good news on December 17.
She picked her up the next day and is thrilled to have Nellie back at home with her.
Norfolk police are continuing to investigate the theft and are still looking for Coco.
It is not known how she got to Burnley, but Ms Billington said pugs are sought-after pets and are often stolen.
