'Three Years After My Dog Was Stolen, I Was Astonished by the Unexpected Reunion' - OK! Magazine

Veronica Drysdale was heartbroken when thieves broke in and stole her beloved terrier-poodle cross, Shrimpy just before Christmas in 2020. The adorable dog was Veronica’s soulmate, especially during the ongoing lockdowns, and she couldn’t understand how anyone could be so completely heartless – and terrified what had happened to him.

But while the police told Veronica there was little they could do, she wouldn’t give up. She posted countless shout-outs online, offering a £1,000 reward, finally in April 2024 and against every conceivable odd, Veronica got the call she’d prayed for - over three years later.

Veronica, a 33-year-old chef from Camden in North London, said: “I was staying with my parents in Northamptonshire for Christmas when someone broke in and stole Shrimpy – the signs of break-in were really obvious, but I just couldn’t believe someone would do that.

'We asked neighbours if they’d seen her, or seen or heard anything at all, and one said they’d had their pick-up truck stolen, which we figured must be linked. When we called the police, they just said they don’t look for missing dogs – assuming they could have just run away. But I explained Shrimpy wouldn’t ever willing leave me, he was more precious to me than any material item I owned. They admitted they would try to track down the truck, but finding Shrimpy was up to me.

'I was so incredibly angry, but refused to give up. This was obviously in the height of the pandemic, most of working from home during those lockdowns, so the demand for dogs was sky-high. I’d seen prices for puppies go up 10-fold in just a few months as people wanted company.

Veronica was panicked that poor Shrimpy had also fallen victim to this. 'I’d heard so many stories of dogs being stolen to cater for that market, even people near where I lived in North London who’d been attacked while walking their dogs in the park. I was scared whenever I walked Shrimpy, keeping him on a tight lead – and now it seemed he was so valuable that someone had actually broken into the home I was staying in to get him.

'A dog isn’t a bike, or a smartphone, or a car, a dog is a member of your family, loved beyond any monetary value. When I looked into this, I was shocked to see the penalties for convicted dog thieves was no worse than bike thieves – but at least with a bike, the police would open a case and try to help find it.'

Taking action, Veronica decided that social media - and a reward - might help. 'I posted ads pleading on every social media platform, I printed out posters and stuck them all over the area where Shrimpy had been taken – I offered £1,000 to the finder, hoping that even if they were heartless, they might want the money.'

Shockingly, Veronica experienced unwanted attention at the hands of nasty pranksters. 'I got so many bogus calls from people saying they’d found him, then saying they’d killed him or something equally sick. I once got a call from which showed up on my phone as the RSPCA, telling me the address to go and pick him up from. I was so excited, but then the guy on the phone said I’d have to go out on a date with him first. When I asked to see photo of Shrimpy, they said they’d killed him and were going to kill me too.

'The police, again, couldn’t help. They said with no recording of the death threats, no way of tracking them and categorically proving who made them, they were powerless. It was simply horrific – but while I was getting calls most days from some crackpot saying they’d found Shrimpy, I couldn’t not take those calls. One of them might be real.

Veronica did everything in her power to help finding Shrimpy easier. 'I updated Shrimpy’s chip details so it had my flat address when I moved, I never once, in all those weeks and months, gave up on him. Lonely without him, I bought a new dog called Bumblebee, very happy with the idea of having two dogs if, or when, Shrimpy was found.'

Then, 1,229 days after she was stolen, a miracle happened. 'On 24 April, I got a call from Holly Trees Animal Rescue centre in Redditch, Worcestershire – one of their workers had found Shrimpy wandering the streets, scanned his chip, and contacted me. I couldn’t believe this was real, it must be another wind-up, but it seemed proper, nobody wanted anything weird from me, so I got in my car.

'When I walked through the centre’s doors, I couldn’t believe it – it was Shrimpy! He was so excited to see me, and I was crying my eyes out when I got to cuddle him again, something I hadn’t done for over three years.

The amazing thing was he was really fit and well, so someone had obviously looked after him. But his usual long, scruffy hair had been cut really short, in a way that made it seem like thief had wanted to disguise him.

'I didn’t care, he was home. And I knew how many thousands of other dogs stolen in the pandemic never got reunited with their owners, how blessed I was. I very happily paid the £1,000 finder’s fee to the rescue centre to help them look after other dogs and cats who might not have a home.'

Shrimpy had been found very close to where the stolen pick-up had been found – I was still so cross with the police for not even making any enquiries. I never once gave up hope that I’d find Shrimpy – I even kept his food order on hold at my local vets, so the moment he came home I called to say that could start again. Never give up hope!'