A family from Suffolk, England, who had their beloved Spaniels stolen on Easter Sunday have spoken of their relief to finally have them home.
The dogs, Cocker ‘Ruby’ and Springer ‘Skye’, had been taken overnight by “someone who knew what they were doing” – leaving owners the Pearce’s devastated to find the yard they had locked the night before, totally empty.
Desperate to get their pets back, the family created a Facebook page in the hope that anyone who came across the dogs would recognize them, preventing them from being sold on and hopefully alerting the authorities in the process. They also offered a “substantial reward” for the dogs’ safe return.
It wasn’t long before the Pearce’s were contacted by an anonymous individual who requested they transfer the monetary reward in exchange for Ruby and Skye. However, they soon realized that the man did not have their dogs when he requested more funds and failed to provide any information.
Their hopes were raised again when another mysterious individual got in contact, informing the Pearce’s that he could get the dogs back if the family “made it worth his while.” They were instructed to meet him in a car park in “the middle of nowhere” to perform the exchange. When they got there, the Pearce’s were told to turn away to avoid identifying the man, who then handed over Ruby and Skye. It is unknown whether the man was involved in the theft itself.
Sarah Pearce, whose father owns Ruby and Skye, confirmed that the dogs were “a little traumatized, but otherwise healthy”.
Suffolk Police have since arrested a foreign suspect in connection with the blackmail.
