'˜We never gave up' say family reunited with stolen pet

Chihuahua Tiger Lily was snatched from outside her home in Ampthill Road on May 26, 2013, after she escaped from her garden.

A neighbour saw someone pick her up in the street, and despite desperate attempts by owners Karen and Bruce Porteous to track her down there there were no leads – until last month.

Karen, who never gave up hope of finding her beloved pet, regularly posted Tiger Lily’s details on lost and found websites.

And her persistance paid off when she was contacted by a woman in Stoke on Trent to say that she thought she had bought Tiger Lily from a woman in Luton 14 months before.

The woman, a veterinary nurse who works with animal rescue charities, had checked Tiger Lily’s microchip after seeing the post.

“We are absolutely delighted.” said Karen. “We couldn’t be happier, we never gave up hoping we would get her back but we got her home – on our 23rd wedding anniversary.

“We think she recognised us and she definitely recognised the house. The vet who checked her out said she would have remembered.”

Tiger Lily, who was four when she went missing, is now ruling the roost with the two dogs Karen and Bruce have taken in after her disappearance.

“The adventure seems to have toughened her up,” said Karen. “She’s a lot feistier, a different dog now.”

The family believe Tiger Lily was taken to Luton after she was stolen as the woman who sold her to the vet’s nurse said she had had the dog since it was a puppy.

They now have her details and have reported it to the police. And Tiger Lily, who will be seven this month, will be getting plenty of exercise.

“She’s about 3lbs heavier than she was when she was stolen,” said Karen.