An English springer spaniel stolen from her home in Smarden 18 months ago has been reunited with her owner.

Daisy was taken in summer 2020 but was found 70 miles away in Berkshire by a member of the public.

After taking the pooch to her local vets, Daisy was reported as a stray and collected by the Public Protection Partnership animal warden team.

The lady who found her then went above and beyond by trawling through the Dogs Lost website, trying to match the dog she’d found to reports of those missing.

At the time, Daisy had her fur clipped, a technique used to disguise identity, but her distinctive markings and colouring meant the lady was able to match her to a spaniel advertised on Dogs Lost.

The Public Protection Partnership's Animal warden team investigated the lead, spoke with Kent Police and eventually confirmed the stray dog was in fact Daisy.

She was in reasonable health and had recently had a litter, so veterinary teams suspect she was stolen to breed on a puppy farm.

On January 20, Daisy was finally reunited with owner Francis Briley who never thought he'd see her again.

Mr Briley said: “I just can’t believe I have her back.

"I’m so grateful to the lady who found her and to the Animal Warden team for bringing us back together again. We’re all overjoyed.”

Kira, one of Public Protection Partnerships Animal Warden’s said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be able to reunite Daisy with her family.

"But they’re very lucky this happened.

"When a dog’s microchip isn’t registered it’s rare to be able to reunite the dog with its owner.

"We urge all dog owners to make sure your dog’s microchip details are registered and up to date on a DEFRA approved database.

"Daisy was picked up as a stray on January 14, and had she had registered microchip details would’ve been reunited with her owner immediately.

"Instead she spent seven days in kennels and was very close to being rehomed.”

Registering a dog’s microchip is a legal requirement, as is wearing a dog tag with their name and address.

Check your pet’s details are registered with a DEFRA approved database here.