RSPCA inspector Kim Walters (left), pictured with colleague Andy Cook – credit: RSPCA, suppliedAn English family has been reunited with their beloved Labrador Daisy who was stolen from their front lawn 7 years ago.
Their tireless search and advocacy for their lost family member attracted the attention of British celebrity and even helped steer a law through Parliament, but the ultimate reward for the devotion to their lost dog was the chance to see her again, elderly and slightly battered, but alive and loving.
In 2017, a truck arrived in front of Rita and Philip Potter’s Norfolk house. Two men hurriedly lept out, grabbed Daisy, and stuffed her into the back—a despicable act seen by neighbors.
Ruling out the possibility that Daisy got lost in the woods somewhere, the Potters contacted the police and urged a response. An RSPCA search in Somerset—200 miles and 7 years later—has recovered a 13-year-old Daisy, who was likely the victim of an illegal pet breeding operation.
A quick microchip scan, and Daisy was on her way home.
“We kept a photograph on the mantlepiece and would look at it every day thinking of her, and where she might be,” Mrs. Potter told the BBC. “It is an absolute dream come true that the RSPCA found her and returned her to us—where she belongs—we are so, so grateful,” said Mrs Potter.
Following Daisy’s abduction, the Potters were active in the press and social media trying to ensure anyone who might have seen the dog understood where she had come from. Tom Hardy, the A-list action star from Dark Knight Rises and Inception, shared their post on his X account.
The Potters then collected 100,000 signatures on a petition for greater government action to fight pet crime. The Pet Abduction Act changed the UK sentencing guidelines, making it a criminal offense with a prison sentence of up to 5 years. Previously, pets were considered property, and abducting them was punished under the UK’s 1986 Theft Act.
During the RSPCA’s investigation, the owner agreed to turn Daisy over to the organization, explaining they had only had her for a few years and didn’t know she could have been stolen. At their facility, a microchip scan revealed Daisy’s provenance and the call to the Potters was an emotional one.
“They were obviously shocked—but elated at the same time,” said RSPCA inspector Kim Walters. “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.”Now in her golden years, and with several health issues from a half-decade of maltreatment, the Potters look forward to loving, spoiling, and caring for her. The Emotional Moment Dog was Returned to Owners 7 Years After Being Stolen
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