A COUPLE whose beloved therapy dog was stolen from a kennels have finally been reunited with their pet.

Ollie, a 17-month-old cocker spaniel was stolen from Broad Oak kennels in Udimore Road, Rye in the early hours of Thursday, March 31 and a police investigation was launched.

Officers carried out an extensive search and a suspect was arrested by neighbourhood response officers in Hastings and later released.

The Argus: Ollie the Cocker Spaniel was stolen from a kennelsOllie the Cocker Spaniel was stolen from a kennels

But, at around 7am on Thursday, the homeowner in Brands Hatch, Kent, heard a scratching and whining at their back door, coming from a small, tan cocker spaniel.

They contacted Battersea Dogs Home, who identified Ollie from an online appeal and contacted his owners.

Officers from Sussex Police were called to Battersea to scan the dog’s microchip, which revealed it was Ollie.

Ollie’s owners, Mark and Paula, said they were “ecstatic” to be reunited with their pet.

Mark said: “This week has been the worst nightmare of my life. Ollie was bought as a therapy dog for my wife and him going missing absolutely destroyed her – she hadn’t stopped crying since last Thursday.

“Now she’s like a changed woman. She’s happy, bubbly and we may even have polished off a couple of bottles of wine.

“And thankfully Ollie’s fine – probably a bit shell-shocked – but no injuries.

“I’d just like to say thank you to everyone involved. All the appeals on social media, everyone who shared them and the police for their investigation – I know how much they’ve been doing behind the scenes.”

Sergeant Jon Attfield, of Heathfield’s Rural Crime Team, said: “It’s highly likely that Ollie’s captors have been forced to release him after a combination of extensive social media coverage and proactive work by officers from multiple policing teams simply made him too hot to handle.

“Luckily, Ollie has then had the good sense to make his way into someone’s back garden.

“The moment we saw Ollie in Brands Hatch we knew it was him, and it was such a pleasure to see him happy and healthy back at home.

“I’d like to thank everybody who shared appeals for information and all the people who supported this investigation.”