Tuesday 11 March 2014

Frank is Found


Kristine Lovelady's photo.
 
For all those of you who have been asking about Frank the Pug and unable to follow the Facebook group, a message.
 
Frank is home with Phil, his Dad.
 Together again where they belong.
 

FOUND!!!!!

To whoever has our Frank, I hope you are caring for our baby. We miss Frank terribly. I want you to consider some things ... Frank is so well known now, you will never be able to take him out in public, something Frank will miss as he loved his walks and he was out with me all the time). You will not be able to have friends over to your house, for fear Frank will be discovered. With the thousand pound reward for the safe return of Frank, even your closest friends may be tempted to give us a tip. But what we offer you is a no questions asked for return of Frank and in return one thousand pounds will buy you your own black pug, or even a pug puppy, and a few other things too. If you keep Frank, you will forever be worried and looking over your shoulder, and possibly even feeling guilty. If you return Frank, you can feel good and rest assured you have done the right thing. There is nothing like raising a puppy from the moment you pick the dog up. There is an unbreakable bond that is created for life. Please do the right thing by Frank, and do the right thing by us. And if there are reasons we don't understand why you have taken Frank, and you need help with something, ie. A drug problem, putting food on the table for your family, well maybe we can even try to do something to help you out there. I think by now you will have worked out we are not angry or vengeful people, we try to be loving, and we extend that to you too. Just please, bring our boy home.



FRANK IS FOUND

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The Story taken from 'Salford Online' this afternoon

Joy for Salford family as missing Frank the Pug found

A prized family pet stolen from a supermarket car park in Trafford has been returned, to the delight of his owners.
Phil Ludlam, from Winton was distraught when Frank, an 18-month old black pug, went missing as he shopped in Asda in Trafford Park.

At around 3.30pm on Friday 21 February Phil returned to his Mercedes van after half and hour away to find his beloved Frank missing, presumed stolen.
Pedigree puppies of the same breed can be sold for hundreds of pounds.
He was especially worried as the young pup needs regular medication

There started a huge social media campaign to get Frank back home. A Facebook page called Help Find Frank the Pug has almost 2,000 likes and the story quickly went viral.

Family and friends shared the story, scouring local selling websites, while Coronation Street stars including Beverley Callard tweeted to thousands of followers.

The family were even invited national dog show Crufts, handing out leaflets and meeting top TV stars.

Today SalfordOnline.com can report that Frank has been returned safe and well.

After two weeks of investigation, Phil traced his missing dog to a woman in Accrington. With his van liveried up and plastered in 'Help Find Frank' posters, he was able to get her to admit that she had bought Frank for a minimal sum, thought to be in the region of £300.

"I scanned him, and showed her Frank's doggie passport, and she was distraught because she'd fallen in love with him."

Now the pup is back home safe, "he won't leave me alone, he's sitting here in the sun with his eyes shut like he's never been away," says Phil.

"The last 16 days have felt like 16 months," he said. 
"I didn't know if he was hurt or lost or anything.

"Now I just want my experience to help others - people need to be aware that there are people deliberately targeting these dogs."

Next week, 14-21 March is Pet Theft Awareness Week, and Phil wants insurance companies and vets to make it a priority to make owners aware.

"I want these people found and charged, because thieves will not stop thieving.
"It's no fault of owners, but we need the awareness out there that this is going on."


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So happy, happy, happy.

Thank you to all of you who joined in with the Facebook and Twitter campaigns to help get Frank back to his Dad.  The power of the social networking sites can sometimes work miracles.

(Original story HERE )
 
Sue xx
 
 
 

34 comments:

  1. Oh Sue, that is wonderful news. I'm so pleased for Frank & Phil. Brilliant!

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  2. Fantastic news, Thank you for sharing, So happy Louise x

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  3. What fantastic news - shame about the woman. Shows we all need to keep an eye on our pets.

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  4. What a relief, if it were not for unscrupulous buyers these thefts would not make money and therefore would not happen. I would like to see the person charged with receiving stolen goods. Maybe if the law stepped up to the mark it would be a deterrent. I am so glad that he is safe at home.

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    1. Phil is starting to campaign for exactly this. He has a lot of media interviews tomorrow so there will be lots of local publicity.

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  5. Such good news. Very happy for both Phil and Frank.

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  6. Thx for letting us know. Well done to everyone for getting involved and spreading the word. It makes it much harder for thieves to get away with things. I can just imagine Frank sitting in the sun.
    Jean x

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  7. Brilliant news, that had made my day! Thanks so much for letting us all know. I'm sure Frank has been on a lot of peoples minds and we've all be wondering about him x

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  8. Oh that's brilliant.. so glad Frank is back home where he belongs.. Thanks for letting us know Sue :o)

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  9. Brilliant news, tho cant help feeling a tiny bit sorry for the lady who 'bought' him.

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    1. Don't feel too sorry for her, turns out she pretty much knew he was stolen. Anyone who buys a Pug for £200 and then tries to sell him back to his real owner, after Phil proved that Frank was indeed his with a scanner and his pet passport showing his microchip number matched, for £400 hasn't got many scruples :-(

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    2. Nasty woman. Prosecute her.

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  10. Brilliant!!! What a successful campaign. I can imagine how delighted Frank and his dad are to be together again
    Gill

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  11. Brilliant, so glad Frank is home where he belongs

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  12. I have just shouted 'they found Frank' across to my husband. He looks a little bemused and concerned about my sanity!

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  13. Happy Happy ending to a sad story. Am so glad Frank is home with his beloved owners. This has put a smile on my face today. Bless him!

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  14. So delighted for the pet and his owner! This news really made my day!!

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  15. Brilliant news! Well done to everyone who helped find him. We once lost one of our dogs for a couple of hours and we were all in bits. She had got lost and ended up walking with another family, by which time the family had become attached to her. However, they saw our phone number on her tag and phoned us and we met up in the car park. Relief!

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  16. So happy for Frank and his owners, but a bit sad for the lady who bought him and fell in love with him. Hopefully if she gets another dog she'll be more careful who she buys from.

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  17. Great news for Frank's owner, and Frank…..I lost my 8 month old pup for about 5 minutes a few weeks ago and I was in bits! So glad this story has had a happy ending.

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  18. What wonderful news to end my day with! Thank you for letting us know x

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  19. Good news, glad it has all had a happy ending thanks to the media campain. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia

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  20. Wonderful news Sue, thank you for sharing!

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  21. Thats fantastic new, I am so pleased that both of them have been reunited. Its so lovely to hear a happy ending.

    X x

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  22. I'm so glad to hear of this happy ending. facebook and twitter are wonderful when used properly. Thanks for letting us know. x

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  23. Fantastic news. I think this just highlights the fact that prospective dog owners should seek out dogs from reputable breeders or known charities, where did she think a pug costing £300 had come from!

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  24. That is amazing news. I haven't been keeping up the blogs these last few weeks and Frank was in my head this morning. I was wondering what happened, where was he etc!! So delighted that he is home. Will get a chance to catch up on your blog today Sue x

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  25. Hi Sue thanks for the update I am really happy to hear about Frank, I tried to join your site but it kept saying, We are unable to handle your request, please try later.

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  26. So happy! I had shared this in our group up here in Manchester!

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  27. If she bought him for a minimal sum and knew that was cheap then that is a classic "handling stolen goods" offence.
    Get her arrested and stop this happening to someone else. The law is simple, if you buy something and you suspect the price is just too good to be true and that item is show to be stolen, you are guilty of HSG.
    Disgusting people but I am thrilled they have been reunited. X

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