Reunited: Owner's delight at return of French Bulldog puppy stolen in Leeds

Snoopy, a nine-month-old French Bulldog, was snatched from Christine Osborne’s car at the White Rose Shopping Centre in Morley on December 31.

"I had locked it, but apparently one of the passenger locks at the back was defective," she said.

"He was in front passenger seat and when I came back, his pillow was between the car seat and the door. I could visualise him being pulled out from the car."

Christine had bought Snoopy just a month earlier after his first owners were unable to keep him.

She had not realised how much people usually pay for the pedigree breed and the potential value Snoopy might hold for opportunistic thieves.

"I love him but not because of the breed or the cost," she said.

Appeals were shared online by organisations including The Animal Team, but Christine had begun to give up hope.

“I was thinking maybe they’ve sold him on,” she said.

Spurred on by the charity, she made a final appeal for Snoopy's safe return.

It resulted in crucial information from a member of the public, which led police to an address in the city.

Officers found Snoopy safe and well, swiftly returning him to a delighted Christine and her two-year-old son, Alfred.

Christine, 38, said: "We were shouting his name. Snoopy was licking my face and saying hello. We were so happy."

While the power of social media helped to secure Snoopy's return, Christine said owners making similar appeals should be cautious.

She said a number of people had tried to get money or her address, claiming to have the puppy or information on his whereabouts.

Since the theft, Christine said she had been reluctant to take Snoopy out of the house.

But on Sunday she joined members of the French Bulldog Owners West Yorkshire group, who had helped in the search.

The group, which came together through Facebook, meets at Roundhay Park on the first Sunday of every month.