A STOLEN pug found in Burnley has been reunited with its owners more than 200 miles away.
After 14 long months of being separated from her owner, Nellie the pug, was found wandering in the streets of Burnley by Debra Mortimer who took her to Oakmount Veterinary Centre in Trafalgar Street.
Sonia Billington, Oakmount Veterinary Centre practice manager, was able to make contact with Nellie's owner Marie Ling in Norwich after discovering her microchip contained her owners details.
Mrs Ling said she was in tears when she found out she would see Nellie again, after thinking she was gone forever.
She said: "We got to the point where we thought that's it, we're never ever going to see her again and that was after about six months.
"Her mum was taken from us as well and she hasn't ever been found but after this miracle, we are hoping that someday she might be.
"It was just heart wrenching when the vets told me she'd been found.
"I was in floods of tears.
"The fact that she was found in East Lancashire as well was just unbelievable.
"Nellie is very happy now especially as she is back with her brother and they just lie together all the time.
"I'd like to thank the vets because they have been brilliant, I cannot fault them.
"It was so terrible when she was taken and I am over the moon."
Mrs Ling also said that Nellie had had puppies in the time she had been away and she hoped that one day they would also be found.
She said: "It's a bit of a worry that we don't know where they are as they are her babies."
Sonia said that it was very moving to have been able to give Nellie back to Marie after they had spent such a long time apart since her disappearance in October 2014.
She said: "To be involved with Nellie's reunion was truly amazing, a reunion made possible due to the dedication of those involved.
"I'd like to say a special thanks to Debra Mortimer who found Nellie out alone and brought her to us where she was scanned and given a place of safety and thanks to the Oakmount team who worked hard to trace her owners and to Norwich police who played their part in ensuring she was returned to the rightful owners."