Nicky Lawrence was distraught when her ten week old yellow labrador, Piper, was taken from her garden in Meadowsweet, Eaton Ford on August 12.

And after finally being reunited with the puppy on October 30 - almost three months after she went missing - she wants to try to prevent the same thing happening to other animal owners in the area.
Nicky, who has two children, David, 13, and Rebecca, 11, said: "Piper was stolen from our garden in August just after we'd got her. She had been left in the garden securely, surrounded by a six foot fence and a solid eight foot gate, while we were out. But when we came back we found that some parcels had been left on the inside of the gate - and Piper was gone."

In an attempt to find her dog Nicky organised a search party and put advertisements in the local media, but Piper was nowhere to be found. She reported the incident to the police but the family gave up hope of ever finding their pet.

Believing Piper had been lost forever, the family bought another labrador puppy, Indie.

But Nicky was contacted at the end of October by a vet's practice in Peterborough that claimed to have her dog. The practice was able to identify Piper because she had been microchipped, and on October 30 the yellow labrador was reunited with her rightful owners - and a new friend to play with.

Now Nicky wants other animal owners to be particularly careful with their pets, and urges animal owners to have their cats and dogs microchipped.

She said: "Piper had grown up so much when we got her back, but she has settled in well and her and Indie have quickly become firm friends. It seems that Piper had been through a number of different families in Peterborough before finally being taken to the vets.

"I want to warn people about the dangers of dogs being stolen and the benefits of microchipping - it costs just £17 and most vets should scan any new dogs taken to see them."