He’s so anxious, it breaks my heart

MoTher-of-two Nicola Phillips, 35, had her beloved seven-year-old cocker spaniel Scampi stolen from her home in Coleford, Somerset, in August 2013. The administrator searched for him for five years until he was found wandering the streets of North London last July. SCAMPI was stolen from his locked kennel in the early hours. He was a working dog, part of our family and deeply loved.

We called the police, put up posters, combed the streets and I contacted Dog Lost and set up a Facebook page. Over the years, I would get messages about possible sightings but it always proved to be nothing.

My main fear was that he had been taken for fighting but I think because he hadn’t been neutered, he was of use for breeding.

In July I looked at his Facebook page for the first time in months when something caught my eye — a video of a dog walking the streets of Islington on his own. It was posted by a passerby. My heart stopped. I had no doubt it was Scampi. He had been picked up by the dog warden in North London. I phoned immediately and drove 200 miles to get him immediately.

We met in a park and I didn’t recognise him at first. His head was tilted, I later learned he’d had a stroke, his fur was matted and he was covered in fleas. He was partially blind and deaf. He just looked so sad. It was horrible. He didn’t recognise me straight away, but on our journey home, he kept staring at me. I felt like he was trying to picture where he knew me from. But as soon as he stepped out of the car, he knew where he was and started running around like a puppy with his tail wagging. He has settled in again but is anxious about a lot of things. When he has a drink he drinks it all. It’s the same with food; there’s a desperation to it, a panic. It’s heartbreaking to see; he must have been left hungry and thirsty so many times. I don’t think the people who do this realise the pain they cause. I didn’t sleep for weeks. I felt violated — like part of my family had been taken. He’s an old man now, he sleeps on the sofa. I cherish every day together.