Dognapped spaniels found in Aldermaston

While two out of five Tibetan Spaniels snatched from Upton have been found, an online search for the rest gathers pace

ANIMAL lovers worldwide are uniting electronically to help track down missing Tibetan Spaniels snatched from Oxford kennels, after two were discovered at an Aldermaston traveller's site.

Owners, Heather Simper and Liz Scoates, of Upton, near Didcot, were devastated after they said five of their spaniels, which were all microchipped, were taken on December 27 from kennels at the back of their property by four men in a silver pick-up truck.

The following morning, the owners said one of the dogs was found by Tadley police at a Paices Hill traveller's site, in Aldermaston and that evening, another was handed in at Tadley Police Station by a member of the public who found the dog wandering just outside the Paices Hill site in Aldermaston.

However, three spaniels remain missing and a Facebook page called ‘Missing Tibetan Spaniels' has been set up by friends of the owners appealing for information about the missing dogs. It has triggered a huge response.

Within a day, more than 450 people joined the online hunt, including some living in the US.

Numbers later swelled to more than 2000 and the search spread to another social networking site, Twitter, where celebrities such as Gary Barlow and Davina McCall have been called on to help.

In a joint statement, the owners pleaded with those who took them to return the three dogs which are still missing, adding: “We would like to thank all the general public who do not know us for their tremendous efforts to try and find our dogs and appeal to them to keep looking. We both feel that this unspeakable crime must be stopped as it is wrecking peoples' lives.”

Initially, the owners had thought six dogs had been taken, but one ran away at the time of the theft and later turned up on their doorstep.

Still missing are: Alice, an eight-month-old dog, red with a white chest and ruff, her sister Amy, who also has a red coat but no white markings, and two-year-old Gladys (pictured) who is fawn-coloured with a black mask.

Anyone who thinks they may have spotted any of the dogs is urged to contact Pc Gary Dixon, of Thames Valley Police, on the non emergency telephone number, 101, or alternatively, their local police force.

The owners are offering a reward for anyone who provides information which leads to the safe return of the dogs.

Tibetan Spaniels originate from the Himalayan mountains, where monks used them as watchdogs. Puppies can cost up to £1,000.