Leeds couple 'overwhelmed' after being reunited with pet dog two weeks after she was taken in stolen van

Dog trainers Davina and James Wiles were left devastated when their white Ford Transit van was stolen on January 23 from Swithens Farm in Rothwell.

The van had five of their dogs inside and while four of them were found after being discarded at the side of the road, the whereabouts of their Cocker Spaniel Vixen remained a mystery.

But the couple were reunited with Vixen yesterday (Tuesday) evening.

Davina said: "We've been through so many emotions. We just can't believe she's back. It's amazing.

"We were broken the last two weeks. It was sheer despair."

Every effort went in to finding Vixen, with search parties made up of hundreds scouring the fields and social media posts gaining thousands of shares.

She was eventually discovered when a friend of Davina's was contacted by an anonymous caller asking if they wanted to buy a dog. When they asked what breed it was they were told it was a spaniel and assumed it was Vixen.

Davina said: "She called me in floods of tears going 'I think we've found Vixen!'"

She said that her friend then met the caller by the side of the road with another man and when her friend recognised Vixen and said "that's the missing the dog" the two men ran off and left the dog, who was then reunited with the Wileses.

Davina said: "With all of the shares and appeals we'd done I think they just wanted to get rid of her. She'd got too hot to handle."

She said that she believes that Vixen was kept in a cage in the back of the van when it was stolen and that the thieves will not have realised that she was in there, even when they opened it to discard the other four dogs initially.

On what it was like to be reunited with the Cocker Spaniel, Davina said: "As soon as Vixen saw James she ran up and jumped in his arms.

"Both of us were a bumbling mess. It was just elation and disbelief that she was actually there. For the first 30 minutes I was constantly crying."

Davina said that Vixen had was a bit skinnier than before and had an eye infection but was "in relatively good condition" and has now been reunited with the couple's other dogs Pi, Kes, Finn and Chief.

Davina thanked everyone who helped search for Vixen, saying that the help and support had been "overwhelming".

A police appeal is still ongoing to locate the stolen van.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "The 08-plate white Ford Transit van, which is believed to have driven off towards Wakefield remains outstanding, and anyone who can assist with information about this vehicle is asked to contact police at Leeds on 101, or by using the livechat facility on the West Yorkshire Police website.

"The crime reference is 13240042541.  

"Information can also be reported anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or online."