A DOG owner who has spent nine months desperately searching for her lost pet has been reunited with him after he turned up in Irvine - almost 200 miles away from home.

Sharon Fallon’s precious little pooch Elvis was allegedly stolen from her garden at her home in Inverness on October 1, 2015 and vanished without trace.

The alleged ‘dognapping’ left the 45-year-old devastated and determined to search “the ends of the earth” to find the four-year-old Bichon Frise.

She said: “I was absolutely devastated. I was beside myself with worry. I just wanted Elvis back but had no idea where he would be. I reported his disappearance to police and they were investigating but didn’t seem to be coming up with anything. I was determined not to give up though.”

For nine months Sharon travelled around Scotland to find Elvis, including all over Inverness, Aberdeen, Ayrshire and beyond, and despite Elvis being microchipped, Sharon could find no trace of her beloved pet anywhere.

But then after receiving a tip off that Elvis could be in Irvine she contacted Ayrshire Police who investigated and last week, on Wednesday, June 15,  Sharon was reunited with him.

Irvine Times:

She said: “I couldn’t believe it when they said they thought they had found him. I was absolutely delighted. I knew I would never give up. It was nine months of hell without him then to get a call saying he had been found safe was amazing.

“He wasn’t in great shape when I first saw him so I got a bit of a shock. His coat was very grey and matted and he looked a bit malnourished. At first I wasn’t even sure if it was the same dog, but when he came closer and I looked properly at his little face I know straight away it was Elvis. I said his name and he ran straight to me. I was so happy he remembered me and we still had our bond.”

Elvis is now back home in Inverness with Sharon and his new companion, another Bichon Frise called Buddy.

Police Scotland confirmed that Elvis was recovered at an address in Irvine and a 61-year-old woman has been reported to the procurator fiscal for alleged reset.

A spokesperson for Ayrshire Police Division said: “We can confirm that a 61-year-old woman will be the subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal for alleged reset in connection with this incident.

“While incidents of dogs being stolen are relatively rare we would encourage owners not to become complacent - to ensure their property is secure and to ensure their dog is microchipped and their contact details are regularly updated on the providers database.”