Doggone... and back! Stolen pup found 180km from home
IF it hadn’t been for the dog-ged determination of one garda – ruthless dognappers just might have left micro-chipped pug Niki for dead.
The six-month-old was snatched while out with his owner, 10-year-old Nikita Onanko, and his mother in Co. Wexford on Sunday, October 15, and then dumped 180km from home.
But after some sterling detective work by Garda Jill Mangan, who tracked him down in Meath after the family reported the theft, delighted Nikita travelled with parents Natalja and Andrey to collect the pup from the Meath dog pound.
The pup was found locked in a shed in the garden of an unoccupied house in Co. Meath last Friday afternoon.
Natalja said they got a phone call from Trim-based Garda Mangan last Friday afternoon to say the pet pooch had been found.
‘It is a miracle. It is hard to believe he was found in Meath and we live in Wexford.’
She said: ‘Gardaí probably saved him from starving to death.
‘If the garda had not followed up on all the calls, Niki would not have been found’
She said of Garda Mangan ‘of course she saved his life.’
Natalja believes the thieves were ‘too afraid to sell him because he is micro-chipped and it would be a big story if he was scanned by a vet or new owners. That was why I believe we got him back’.
When Gda Mangan rang to tell the family their beloved pet had been found, ‘Nikita was dancing!
‘We want to say thank you to the gardaí and especially to Garda Jill.’
A Garda spokesman said: ‘The boy was waiting outside for his mam who was inside the shop [when Niki was stolen].
The theft was the subject of numerous appeals on social media throughout the week.
Natalja also pleaded with dog owners to get their pet microchipped and registered so that they can be traced if they are lost or stolen.
A spokesperson for gardaí in Meath said: ‘The investigation had resulted in two stolen dogs being recovered. Doing some good detective work, Trim gardaí got two search warrants and searched two separate addresses on Friday.
‘The pug was found at one address and at the other address, another stolen dog was found – that dog, a French bulldog, was taken from Kildare in 2016.
‘Both are being reunited with their owners.
‘Garda investigations are continuing and charges are likely in the near future.’
‘Thieves saw he had micro-chip’