Emotional moment stolen therapy dog Ollie is reunited with his family

The seventeen-month-old pooch was stolen a kennel last month, sparking a police investigation and huge ‘doghunt’ across social media

This is the heart-warming moment police officers helped reunite therapy dog Ollie with his family after he was stolen last month. In the footage, released by Sussex Police , Ollie can be seen wagging his tail as he runs and jumps up to greet his emotional owners, Paula and Mark.

"Go and find them, go and find them, where is she?" PC Zoe King can be heard excitedly asking Ollie before Paula rushes to pick up and cuddle her beloved pooch, who licks her face while still wagging his tail. Mark smiles while capturing the whole moment on camera as Paula asks Ollie: "Where have you been?"

The seventeen-month-old cocker spaniel was stolen from Broad Oak Kennels in Udimore Road, Rye, in the early hours of Thursday, March 31, sparking a police investigation and huge ‘doghunt’ across social media. An extensive search was carried out, including the proactive arrest of a suspect by neighbourhood response officers in Hastings who was later released with no further action.

But at around 7am on Thursday (April 7), the owner of a house in Brands Hatch, Kent, heard a scratching and whining at their back door – coming from a small, tan-coloured cocker spaniel. The quick-thinking rescuer contacted Battersea Dogs Home, who identified Ollie from the numerous online appeals. They got in touch with the owners, who contacted us, and our officers were up there in a flash.