THE OWNER of a therapy dog is overjoyed to have been reunited with her canine companion during the Easter weekend.
Maple, an auburn coloured cockapoo, was stolen in Hurst on March 21 last year.
Her story, and her owner’s heartbreak, have touched the heart of the borough ever since.
Concerned locals worked hard to try to find the dog at the time, and have continued their efforts over the months that followed.
A GoFundMe page was set up to support a campaign to find Maple, fliers were printed and put up repeatedly in public places, and a Facebook page was set up to keep the therapy dog in mind.
Her owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, says: “I’ve done so much crying.
“You lose hope when it’s been a year, and I had got to the point where I was preparing to put up a picture of Maple on the wall, to try to move on.
“But it was almost as though it was when I stopped looking that she came back.”
Over the Easter weekend Maple turned up more than 100 miles away, having been taken to a veterinary practice in Norfolk by her current ‘owner’ for an appointment.
Thankfully, when she was examined, her microchip data was also checked.
The vet realised she was stolen and made the call that Maple’s true owner had been longing to hear.
“It’s a bit of a blur,” she says.
“It was all so surreal.
“I’ve had so many calls since our campaign began – prank calls, hoax calls, scam calls. Some horrific things have been said to me and it’s not always easy to cope with them.
“So when I got this call I didn’t answer immediately.
But I checked the number and saw it was a vet, so when they called again a few minutes later I picked up and we quickly established that she was mine.
“My first question was: ‘is she alive?’ It has been my greatest fear that she was dead or suffering, so to get the call and to hear that she was alive and well was amazing.
“I don’t think any of us could believe it was really her – I was a bit numb.
“The vet kept saying what a lovely dog she is.”
A friend took Maple’s owner to Norfolk straight away on Maundy Thursday evening, driving through peak traffic conditions.
She says, “Honestly, I would have driven anywhere, anytime, to witness this wonderful reunion.”
Pictures on the group’s Facebook page tell a happy story.
Her owner says: “As soon as she saw me, Maple was really pulling on the vet’s arm, straining on her lead. She responded to her name straight away, and gave me a kiss.
“Everyone was crying.”
Existing ear and stomach issues Maple had may have been exacerbated by having been fed the wrong foods over the year, but she is reported to be otherwise in good shape.
“Maple seems really well,” says her owner. “She’s not showing signs of trauma, and she’s still the same loving friendly dog that she was.
“We’ve been very lucky. She’s such a special dog – she’s still our Maple.”
No-one knows what really happened to Maple during the 381 days she was missing; how she was treated or how many people’s hands she passed through before being returned.
Her owner is just thankful to have her back.
She says: “I really appreciate all of the love and support I’ve had from people who have taken the time to care. It means the world to me.
“We’ve had a happy ending, but there are many many dogs that don’t get home.”
Maple’s owner believes that the dog was stolen in the Hogmoor Lane area, by four men seen driving a Saab in the area the day she disappeared.
Microchipped and spayed, she would have been difficult to sell on, and unsuitable for breeding purposes.
Her owner believes that automatic scanning of dogs’ microchips would save a lot of heartache.
“Stealing a dog is like the abduction of a family member, not theft of a possession.” she says. “We really need vets to scan all new dog patients, to check if they’re stolen.
“Otherwise, anyone can take a dog and own them for the rest of their lives without it ever being discovered.”
Wherever her travels have taken her during the past year, Maple is now safely back home.
Her Easter return is a very good news story not just for her delighted owner, but for the borough.
“I can hardly believe she’s really here – it’s like a dream I don’t want to wake up from.,”her owner says.
“Maple just wants to be close to me all the time, and I can’t get her off my lap, but that is really not a problem at the moment.”
People are asked to remove any remaining fliers and posters that they find, now that Maple is returned.
For Maple’s Facebook page, search for: REUNITED – Stolen Therapy Dog; Maple the Red Cockapoo.
