Ace news for family reunited with beloved Doberman one year after he was Pinsched
ANN CASEY
There was a tearful reunion for an ecstatic Kells family last week when they were reunited with their much loved dog, ONE YEAR after he was stolen from their back garden.
Ace, a Doberman Pinscher had been handed into a vet on the Commons Road in Navan last week in very poor condition. He was emaciated and carrying an infection and after some emergency care was in a position to be reunited with owners, the Walsh family who live on the Athboy Road in Kells.
Ace was identified because he had been microchipped at only a few weeks old. He had been stolen from the family’s back garden on 16th December 2015.
Conor Walsh explains that the entire family was devastated including his wife, Caoimhe and their children Feileadh and Conor Óg and that they had all but given up hope of seeing their beloved dog ever again.
“We had a tearful reunion and we are looking forward to a great 2017 now that he’s home,” said a delighted Conor.
“He was just over a year old when he was taken. He was a real pet and was very gentle with the children.
“When he was taken we searched everywhere for about two months. We didn’t give up completely but we were beginning to lose hope.”
“We had a miserable Christmas without him after he went missing and even this year we missed him terribly.
“When we got word that he had been found, we just couldn’t believe it. He’s back here at home now and he’s very skinny, but we’ll soon have him well again.”
It wasn’t just the humans who were delighted by the reunion, Ace was also thrilled.
“He ran straight to Feileadh - he always loved her and followed her around - and then he made a big fuss of the rest of us.”
“We are all absolutely delighted. He was always very gentle and it seems that despite his ordeal he has kept that.”
The family now have two dogs. Little Olaf joined the family last September for Feileadh’s birthday and they both get on like a house on fire.
“We are really looking forwards to a happy 2017 and maybe this year, we can have a Happy Christmas with our dogs,” says Conor.
Meath Dog Warden Alan Nolan (below right) was thrilled to see the dog reunited with the family and stressed it was only possible because of the chip.
“I rang Conor and asked him if he was missing a dog, approximately two years old. He said he was but it was over 12 months ago and that it had been stolen from the back garden.
“When I told him he had been found, he was ecstatic. It’s a brilliant result, and we just hope that people take away the message of just how important it is to chip your dog - which is a legal requirement - at the earliest opportunity
Alan added that normally there is a reclaim fee for animals that are picked up or handed in “but in this instance where Ace had been reported stolen and for the sheer length of time that had elapsed we waived that fee”.