PETS REUNITED

For an owner, there are few things more distressing than their animal going missing. Here are some happy endings...

-  JANEY SWANSON

"Jazz was never far from our thoughts"

When the Darling family's cocker spaniel, Jazz, disappeared from their garden last April, they were devastated.

"At first my two daughters and I thought she'd escaped from the garden but, as she'd never done that before, we began to suspect Jazz had been stolen," Emma Darling, who lives in Powys, reveals.

"I was determined to find Jazz. I made a lost-dog poster which I shared everywhere, as well as searching social media and dog-selling websites for possible clues.

"It was heartbreaking. We were so worried about how Jazz was being treated, whether she was being fed and if she had a dry, warm place to sleep. For ten long months, Jazz was never far from our thoughts."

On New Year's Day 2023, Emma received a phone call from a vet in Wolverhampton, more than 60 miles from Emma's home.

"The vet asked if I owned a black cocker spaniel. When I said I did, she asked her name. I said 'Jazz' and heard the most wonderful, amazing words: 'She's here."

Two hours later, Emma and her daughters were in Wolverhampton.

"It was wonderful to be reunited with Jazz. She had a 7.99 little cut on her foot but otherwise she was absolutely fine.

"It turned out that Jazz had been dumped in an ambulance on New Year's Eve. One of the ambulance crew, Alex, heard a noise in the back of the ambulance, went to investigate - and found Jazz.