Facebook reunites Mandy with Milly and Molly
7:00am Thursday 14th July 2011 in Local NewsBy Katy Islip
Mandy Millington with Molly and MillyTWO kidnapped dogs have been reunited with their owner after a Facebook campaign to find them.
Mandy Millington’s two Staffies, called Molly and Milly, were stolen from outsidethe Asda supermarket in North Shoebury Road, Shoebury, while she shopped on Thursday lunchtime.
Distraught, Miss Millington reported the theft to police who found CCTV footageshowing three people taking the dogs. A friend then suggested setting up a Facebook page to try to trace the pair.
Hundreds of people joined the group, and on Saturday evening Miss Millington received information which led to the dogs being found at Thorney Bay caravan park in Canvey.
Miss Millington, 48, said: “I was called by a woman who was in the Facebook group. She said she’d been in contact with someone she hadn’t seen for 20 years, whose niece had the dogs.
“She gave me a number, but I didn’t get an answer. Then this woman called and said she’d taken the dogs by accident, and they were on Canvey and I could go and pick them up.”
The Facebook page, called “Find Mandy’s stolen dogs”, attracted 295 members and Miss Millington credits the site with reuniting her with her pets.
She said: “What everyone was doing to get my dogs back was amazing. People changed their profile pictures to that of the dogs.
“The people on Facebook got my dogs back for me. It’s amazing, I’m overwhelmed with what everyone has done for me.
“It’s just gobsmacking, and we’ve got a happy ending.”
It is not exactly clear how the dogs came to end up in Canvey, but Miss Millington is convinced they were taken on purpose, and believes the Facebook campaign made it too hard for the thieves to keep the animals, which were returned unharmed.
She said: “They must have known the net was tightening on them and just wanted to get rid of the dogs.”
The page on the social networking site was the brainchild of Miss Millington’s friend Joanna Bunker Wallis.
Mum-of-three Miss Millington said: “Jo came up with the idea of the Facebook group. Without her and that idea I don’t think I would have got my dogs back.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone who helped.”
Now Staffordshire bull terrier Milly and Staffie cross Molly are back with Miss Millington and her family at their home in Peregrine Close, Shoebury, she is keen to help others trace their missing pets.
She said: “We’re going to keep the page up and use it to let people know about other dogs which have been stolen or are missing in Shoebury.”
A spokeswoman for Essex Police said the officer investigating the case would be in touch with Miss Millington to update the case file.
