A pensioner was overjoyed to be reunited with his stolen dog after he was found nearly 50km away.
Brandy the Spaniel was taken from home in Trim, Co Meath.
The pup was found yesterday evening in the Ballyfermot area of Co Dublin and returned to his owner Sean, 85.
A garda spokesman said on Sunday: "A good news story to end the weekend, Brandy the spaniel which was stolen recently in Trim was found in Ballyfermot this evening.
"It's hard to put into words how his 85-year-old owner Sean felt when they were reunited.
"Thank you everyone for your vigilance and help in getting him back."
It comes after new figures from the Department of Justice showed that dognappings have soared by 50% in Ireland over the past two years.
There were 145 reported thefts reported in 2018 before it rocketed to 210 last year.
The figure for this year is set to surpass last year’s total again, with 120 dogs registered as stolen so far halfway through 2020.
The real numbers being taken from doting owners could be far greater as Garda officials explained that it is not always easy to categorise a dog theft.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said: “I understand that there is no specific code on PULSE for theft of animals.
“The same code is used for all types of theft and it would require the checking of individual records within the Courts Service to separate out theft of animals from other types of theft.”
Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy sought information through a parliamentary question.
She told the Irish Mirror: “The theft of pets can have a deep and lasting impact.
“For most, a dog or cat is a companion or part of the family.
“The crime is serious enough that it merited advice to be issued by the Garda’s national crime prevention section.
“I’d urge people to take a look at that advice and take heed in particular to the chipping of pets where possible.
“Some stolen animals end up being sold online or into puppy farms so from an animal welfare perspective it’s important to be as proactive as possible in relation to the safety of your pet. The figures revealed to me indicate that this type of crime is on the rise.”
The spokesman for the Department of Justice added: “On July 9, An Garda Siochana appealed to the public to take extra crime prevention measures when it comes to caring for their pets, particularly high-value breeds of dogs, following the reporting of a number of dog thefts in recent months.
“A range of measures for pet safety, recommended by the National Crime Prevention Unit, can be found at: https://www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/office-of-corporate-communications/news-media/dog-theft-crime-prevention-advice.html.”
