The utterly heart-wrenching moment a little boy chased hopelessly after the man who stole his puppy has been caught on video.
The footage shows a clearly-devastated child following a much older boy who is carrying away the youngster's small Jack Russell terrier.
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In the CCTV video, captured in Crewe on Friday, the older boy reaches the edge of the pavement and waits for a car to fly past before quickly running from the youngster.
The little boy, who can be heard shouting 'stop' in the clip, had been robbed of his beloved three-month-old puppy, Mela.
Desperate and devastated, the family of the youngster set up a Facebook page in a bid to find Mela and bring her home.
A statement posted to the page said: "This is the moment Mela was stolen from Underwood Lane. The next area this person was caught on camera was Derby Street. Prior to this Mela was being walked on her lead. This person approached and joined Mela's young owner on the walk and then proceeded to talk to him and then pick Mela up.
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"The young boy hurried along the side of him trying to keep up with him. Once they got to this corner that you can see he then decided to make his move and run off with her. If you have sound this will break your heart as much as it as ours, he is shouting stop."
The boy's dad, Aleksandra Pater, posted his own plea on social media, which read: "The younger boy was my son and the dog was picked up without his permission. We had put some posters up in one of the high schools. We believe she is still alive."
The plea for the missing family pet went viral and the family received an incredible response from people trying to help.
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Luckily, there is a happy ending for the little boy and his puppy - the family have since confirmed they have Mela back.
Cheshire police announced the good news with a post on Facebook, they wrote: "Great news! We can confirm that Jack Russell Terrier puppy Mela is back home safe and well with her family."
It was said on the 'Bring Mela Home' page the puppy was found via a tip-off from a member of the general public.
What an ordeal to have experienced, though.
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Featured Image Credit: Deadline News