The cherished Yorkshire Terrier of a Ukrainian family who had their dog kidnapped six days after arriving in the UK has been returned to them.
The canine was discovered at a neighbouring residence, safe and sound, by police after they started a search for eight-year-old Ellie.
Ellie was taken on Sunday from outside Lina and Oleksiy Litvinova’s temporary house in Streatham, south London.
Lina and Oleksiy are all 40 years old, as are their children Ivan, 17, and Kira, nine months, and Lina’s mother Larysa, 66. All of them were distraught.
The Kharkiv-based family had only been in the UK for six days when they arrived, having travelled 2,000 kilometres in three days through eleven nations to flee the civil conflict in their native country.
On Wednesday night, Ellie, who had lived with the Litvinova family since she was a puppy, was reunited with them.
Lina said with much relief, “We are simply so delighted to have Ellie back.”
There was always the terrible prospect of losing track of her. But for all of us, this is the finest gift.
“We want to thank everyone who has made it possible to have Ellie back.
“All the people across the nation who shared the photos and the appeal poster on social media, as well as the police, who were excellent.”
We are finally together as a family, so thank you to everyone.
A red BMW stopped in the middle of the street outside the home of the five-person family on Sunday morning, and Ellie could be seen rushing out, according to Ring doorbell video.
According to Lina, two individuals in the BMW pretended to be the dog’s owners to onlookers before snatching the animal and making off with her in broad daylight.
This kind of thing just doesn’t seem to occur in Kharkiv, our hometown, said Lina.
But after we get to England, Ellie is kidnapped in a matter of days.
‘A dog stolen from a family who had just arrived in the UK from Ukraine has been returned to them following a proactive investigation,’ a Met Police spokesman told MailOnline.
‘Ellie, a Yorkshire Terror, was stolen from their address on Sunday, August 7 at around 13:40 hours, and police were contacted.
“Officers from the Central South Command Unit’s Safer Neighbourhoods Team started an investigation. After witness, CCTV, and vehicle inquiries, police went to a Surrey address and found Ellie there, who was unharmed.
She was later given back to her family. At every stage of the investigation, they received updates.
“Enquiries into the circumstances surrounding her theft are ongoing. At this time, no one has been taken into custody.