Family reunited with their stolen French Bulldog who was abducted from their van in Morrisons car park after being found 200 miles away after being separated for almost three years
A family of four have been reunited with their stolen dog after she was found more than 200 miles away after being missing for almost three years.
Joanna and George Kowalczyk, both 45, from Walthamstow, and their two daughters Veronica, 27, and Patrycja, 24, were left devastated when their French Bulldog called Tina was pinched.
She was abducted from the back of the family’s van as they entered a Morrisons supermarket in Chingford on May 7, 2021.
The family reported the theft to the police and distributed 90,000 missing posters with a reward in exchange for Tina, but feared they would never see her again.
Now, after almost three years, the Kowalczyk family have been reunited with their beloved dog after she was located in Manchester via her microchip.
Joanna, George, Veronica and Patrycja Kowalczyk (pictured), from Walthamstow, have been reunited with their dog Tina after she was kidnapped almost three years ago
After Tina was kidnapped from the car park of an east London supermarket, the devastated family distributed missing posters to locate her.
But just three weeks later they suffered even more grief when they were told to remove the missing reward posters.
The family was eventually told they could keep the posters and distributed more than 90,000 missing posters.
Despite their attempts to locate Tina, they were unsuccessful and the family feared they would never see their dog again.
However, that all changed after two years and nine months when the family received an unexpected call from a dog groomer in Manchester.
The director told them that Tina had been found in Manchester, 200 miles from her home. Joanna and George traveled into town to pick up Tina last Thursday.
The family has now been reunited with their dog and managed to capture the heartwarming moment on camera.
In the touching clip, an excited Tina quickly ran towards them and seemed to immediately recognize her family. Joanna then said, “Hi beautiful, you’re coming home now.”
Joanna and George traveled to Manchester to pick up Tina after a dog warden in the area alerted them to Tina’s whereabouts
The French Bulldog was hijacked from the back of the family van in a Morrisons car park in Chingford in May 2021
In an effort to get their beloved Tina back home, the family distributed 90,000 missing posters with a reward
The family also shared a selection of sweet photos of Tina at home in Walthamstow.
In one photo, Tina looked extremely relaxed as she enjoyed a long-awaited cuddle with Joanna and George.
Elsewhere, the family posed for a group photo with their beloved Tina, looking at the peace of finally being home.
Patrycja, 24, said: ‘I can’t believe it’s true, it’s just surreal. Now after this time we can give all the love and affection that she has not received from us in recent years.’
Her older sister Joanna said: ‘The family is finally back together. There are no words that can really explain how I feel.”
A Met Police spokesperson said: ‘We have been investigating after a dog was reportedly stolen from a car in a supermarket car park in Chingford in May 2021.’
After traveling 200 miles to Manchester, Joanna and George were finally reunited with their French Bulldog
The emotional clip showed Tina waiting outside to greet Joanna and George after she was kidnapped
It comes after a dog who went missing just 24 hours after being adopted by new owners is found and rescued in the woods six years later – after a rescue team lured her in with a slice of pizza.
Rose, a 12-year-old black Patterdale terrier, disappeared from her Surrey home in 2017 but survived as a stray, eating leftovers offered to her by concerned strangers.
When she was finally spotted, six miles from her original home in the woods near Crawley, a rescue team devised an elaborate plan to lure her into a cage and get her to safety – and that involved food, of course.
Although Rose is now safe and sound, her owners cannot adopt her again, meaning she is once again up for adoption.
Nicki Scriven, 41, has worked with the nonprofit for a decade and was involved in the rescue mission.
In the heartwarming clip, an excited Tina quickly ran to Joanna and George after almost three years apart
She said: ‘It came to light that someone had been feeding her for ten years, but it turned out to have been six and a half years.
“She was their stray dog that they were feeding, and the main lady involved agreed that the dog should be caught.”
The team camped out in a nearby van and watched the unnerving CCTV footage with pizza in hand. They used live hidden cameras to observe her behavior and plan how best to get her to safety.
The dog, who had been eating food left out for badgers for years, was then lured into a metal cage in Sussex woods with some chickens.
After scanning her microchip, the rescue team found Rose’s owners on Facebook and were able to tell them the good news that she was alive and well.
Unfortunately, due to a change in circumstances, Rose’s family cannot take her back, so she will be rescued once again.