The family dog believed to have been stolen in a creeper burglary in Co Down is back home after a dramatic reunion in the early hours of the morning.
Golda the Labradoodle vanished some time between 11.30pm on Monday and 6am the following day.
It is believed she was snatched in a burglary at the family home in Cloughey when someone entered via the utility room and took the pet. Nothing else was touched in the house.
News of Golda's disappearance triggered a vast search operation. Police launched an investigation and thousands of people shared the news on social media about her disappearance.
Local reports and CCTV footage of a car driving slowly in the neighbourhood before Golda was taken were shared with the PSNI as her family feared they may have been watched in the hours leading up to the dognapping.
But this morning we can confirm that five-year-old Golda is home and back with her family.
She was discovered tied to railings after two elderly dogs in a house in Millisle became agitated and started pawing at the window of their family home late on Tuesday night.
Having heard that a dog was missing presumed stolen on the Ards Peninsula earlier in the day, these dogs' family checked their property and heard the faint whimpering of a dog nearby.
When they checked the area they found Golda tied loosely to railings at a children's play park - she was 15 miles from home.
They alerted Golda's family and owner Robert Johnston jumped in the car right away.
He said: "My heart was racing as I drove from our house in Cloughey to Millisle. It seemed like the longest journey of my life. By the time I got there, there were people still trying to get hold of Golda but she was terrified and had managed to get free of the railings and run off.
"She was too scared to come to them, she was scared even when she heard my voice but she came to me and she cried all the way home.
"The feeling of having her safe and by my side in the car was just unbelievable, relief, love, anxiety and anger towards the people who did this to our girl. She is just a big love and she has never known any hardship until now.
"When we asked for help, help arrived in droves from a community of dog lovers, of decent people, of good people. When Belfast Live and Dogs Live contacted us to help they said they'd do all they could to make Golda too hot to handle - and they did exactly that.
"Thousands and thousands of people across Northern Ireland, Southern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales had heard about Golda without hours of her being taken - and 20 hours later we had her home safely.
"We'll never know what she went through in the time she was gone but we want to thank everyone for their help in getting her home.
"What happened to Golda has been horrible. What happened to help us get her back was incredible. This was a true community effort and without it I dread to think what might have happened to our girl."
