Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/roxie-dog-stolen-reunited-5-years-later/

When Shona Macleod and her family purchased a French Bulldog named Roxie, they were excited to welcome a dog into their home and lives. Sadly, it wouldn’t last long.

At just 18-weeks-old, the pup was snatched from the family’s front garden in Carlisle, Uk. The theft happened in March 2017, and after months of searching, the family gave up on finding their beloved puppy.

Dog napping has been on the rise, with trendy breeds like French Bulldogs often being a target.

Dog nappers take the dogs and might remove their microchips and resell them, or breed them for puppies to sell (which go for $1,500 and $3,000 USD per puppy).

It’s a horrible industry and many families who have their dogs stolen end up never seeing them again.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case for Roxie and the Macleod family.

According to BBC, members of the stray dog team spotted Roxie walking through Rickerby Park on October 30, 2021 – the dog’s 5th birthday.

It’d been 4 years and 7 months since Roxie was stolen, and she was finally about to be reunited with her family! The stray dog team used Roxie’s microchip to identify her owner as Shona Macleod.

Shona shared a post about reuniting with the pup on Facebook, saying she couldn’t believe her luck:

In an interview with BBC, Shona said, “I thought it was my new dog that had escaped from the garden when I saw the council worker with a dog at the door. I cried my eyes out when I realised it was Roxie.”

The Macleods had purchased another French Bulldog earlier in 2021 after years of missing Roxie. In addition, they’ve added two more children to their family since Roxie went missing!

While a lot has changed in nearly five years since she’d been gone, it seems Roxie is settling into her new life very nicely.

In an interview with News and Star, Shona said, “I think she knew who I was and she just totally settled back in straight away as though she’s never left.”

While the dog did have fleas, she seemed to otherwise be in good health. The Macleods believe she’d given birth to at least one litter of puppies during her time away.

Speaking with News and Stars, she said, “I think she has been bred off and after a few litters she’s been dumped. She had fleas and needed a bath but otherwise she was fine.”

As always, it’s important to microchip your pets and keep your contact information up-to-date. Without the microchip, it’s unlikely Roxie would’ve been reunited with her family. We’re so glad her story ended the way it did!

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog