Pippa the runaway pooch has been found following a week on the run after hundreds joined a search to find her.
The five-year-old miniature schnauzer went missing last Friday after escaping from her home in Granton Avenue, Upminster.
Her distraught owners set up a Facebook group in the hope of finding Pippa, and were inundated with support from the community with hundreds of people quickly spreading the word.
Late last night, her owners updated the group’s name to “Pippa Has Been Found #findPippa” and posted a cheeky photo of the black dog looking well.
The post simply read “All. I have Pippa! She has been recovered by Police. She is safe and well. More to follow.”
Her loving owners went to desperate lengths to track Pippa, even employing a special tracker dog to follow her scent.
Dedicated dog-lovers around the borough shared sightings of Pippa on the Facebook group, with reports of her being seen at the Clockhouse Bowling Club, Upminster, and even as far afield as Aveley.
Pippa’s owners told the Recorder this week that work was being carried out in her house and she must have escaped while material was delivered to the property last Friday afternoon.
She was last spotted around midnight on Wednesday in Aveley, near Thurrock, around the Esso petrol station, in Purfleet Road, about five miles away from home, and she is believed to be moving between Love Lane and the Belhus area.
People helping to find Pippa were urged not to try and catch her, but to report sightings to her owner Pamela.
More than 500 people joined the Facebook group to organise Pippa’s search and residents have joined forces to distribute leaflets, put up posters in local businesses and contact dog charities and groups in the area.
Great British Bake-Off winner Candice Brown even helped out by retweeting the search to her 77,600 followers.
Pamela said: “It’s just incredible the support that we have had. It’s overwhelming really.
“People are offering to go into shops and hand out leaflets. One person, who is house-bound even offered to put posters into plastic envelopes for us – it’s amazing. We will consider offering a reward. We are so desperate to get her back.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here