Pet owners reunited with stolen pug after miracle online discovery

Anthony Walker and his partner Chloe Tucker were left devastated after their beloved dog Eddy was taken from their car at the Tibshelf service station just off Junction 28 on the M1.

The incident led to an investigation by Derbyshire police.

The shocking theft happened on the evening of Friday, July 6, when Chloe left Eddy in her car when she took her two-year-old daughter to the toilet.

Eddy is a cross between a French bulldog and a pug. He ended up hundreds of miles from home.

But in what is a remarkable development, the owners say that Eddy is now back home after he was discovered for sale on website Shpock.

Like eBay, Shpock is an online marketplace platform which allows people to buy and sell items by using a computer or mobile app.

Mr Walker, a builder, said he travelled to Heathrow from his current workplace in Farnborough to collect him and paid £500 to get the dog back.

Mr Walker, 26, who lives in County Durham, said: “We’re buzzing and over the moon to have him back.

“There’s a group of people who look absolutely everywhere for missing and stolen pets and someone came to us with a link and picture of Eddy – we looked at it for two seconds and we knew it was him straight away – he’s got a distinctive jaw and has two white claws on his back two feet.

“I’ve then gone and paid for the dog back. I was in a position where I couldn’t do anything else. I’ve been working in Farnborough lately but I managed to collect him from Heathrow in London.

“I’ve paid £500 to get him back but we have let the police know about the situation. I didn’t ask them (the people selling him) any questions – I just wanted to get Eddy away and back home.

“We feel very lucky to have him back.”

A spokesman for Derbyshire police said: “Our enquiries remain ongoing.”

Shpock was also asked for a comment about the sale of Eddy.

On its website, Shpock says selling pets is “forbidden” outside the UK, Germany, Italy and Sweden. But there are allowances in those countries to sell pets providing certain rules are met.