A chef has been reunited with her beloved dog nearly three-and-half-years after she was stolen.
Veronica Drysdale was left heartbroken when Scrimpy was pinched from her home.
She was taken at the same time that crooks stole a neighbour’s pick-up truck.
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She stumped up a £1,000 reward to try and get the two-and-a-half year old Terrier Poodle cross back.
The 33-year-old also had to deal with the heartache of a fake call from someone saying they had Skimpy.
Veronica was told they would kill her and her dog if she didn’t meet their demands.
Veronica’s pooch vanished from her house in Towcester, Northamptonshire on 13 December, 2020.
Scrimpy was found 1,229 days later wandering around Redditch, Worcestershire – 50 miles away – last Thursday (25 Apr).
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She was spotted by a member of the public and taken to the Holly Trees Rescue Centre Trust.
Because she was microchipped they were able to quickly get in touch with Veronica, now of Camden, north London.
She told What’s The Jam: “I am totally overwhelmed with gratitude and want to thank everyone who helped get her back.
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“This just goes to prove that if your pet is missing please never, ever give up hope.”
Recalling the prankster who claimed to have her just 10 days after she was taken, she added: “I had a phone call from someone saying they were at the Northampton RSPCA centre and had my dog.
“They wouldn’t send a photo, but I started to drive there to pick her up.
“Next they said I could only have Skimpy back if I went on a date with one of the staff.
“If I didn’t, Skimpy would be killed and so would I when I arrived there.”
She continued: “It left me thinking what sort of people do this.
“They are sick.
“But now she’s back I can get on with my life as normal.
“Everything feels so surreal.
“It is still a mystery where she has been.”
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