Joyful reunion for couple and their dog, two years after she was taken

It was tears all round when a dog, taken in a stolen truck two years ago in Doncaster, was reunited with her ecstatic owners.
Minnie in dishevelled state, now back with her ownersMinnie in dishevelled state, now back with her owners
Minnie in dishevelled state, now back with her owners

Sheffield couple Carrie Ryan and Oliver Clough had all but given up on seeing their Shih Tzu, Minnie, ever again.

A reward offer and a facebook campaign of 8,000 shares across the UK had failed to return their much loved pet of 10 years.

Carrie Ryan with MinnieCarrie Ryan with Minnie
Carrie Ryan with Minnie

But hearbreak turned to joy last week.

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The heartwarming happy ending to the tale is down efforts of Ashley Granter and Tasha Burton who spotted Minnie, in distress, near the Bluebell pub in Blaxton.

Ashley, 22, of Auckley, said: “We saw this little dog running frantically in the rain. Eventually we got her and took her to my house. She was in a real state. She ate a bit of chicken and we bathed her, carefully, as she had sores. I spent the night by her side as she slept.”

Next day they took the dog to the Mayflower Animal Sanctuary at Bawtry, where both previously worked as volunteers. They discovered the dog was chipped and called Minnie.

Minnie with Ashley Granter, who found herMinnie with Ashley Granter, who found her
Minnie with Ashley Granter, who found her

Once back home with Minnie, research revealed an old poster on a lost dogs site, from which Ashley traced her owners.

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“We discovered she was pedigree and 12 years old. We checked her chip number, photographs, everything with her owners, then they dashed over. There were a lot of tears,” said Ashley.

Nurse Carrie Ryan, 39, of Deepcar, said: “I can’t describe how good it felt to get Minnie back after all the anguish.

“We were so emotional when we saw her...all in bits. We had her from eight weeks old, so she is very much one of the family.

“When I went in, her head went up at the sound of my voice. Then she crawled over me, and pawed at my shoulder.

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“She is seeing the vet as she is undernourished and has lost some fur, but she’s settled back in, sleeping at the foot of our bed like she used to.”

Minnie was asleep in her owner’s Ford truck, when it was stolen from Hatfield in June 2016. Mr Clough, a farrier, was shoeing a horse at the time. Although the truck was found two weeks later, there was no sign of Minnie.