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Teen Says Stranger Found Her Missing Pup And Refuses To Give It Back

Teen Says Stranger Found Her Missing Pup And Refuses To Give It Back

The family had only had nine-week-old Nelly for a week before she disappeared

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

A teen says her missing puppy was found by a stranger who is now refusing to give her back.

Melissa Baylis, 17, says her nine-week-old pooch Nelly went missing out of her garden in Ashton-under-Lyne and suspects the pup was stolen.

After sharing a post urging anyone who finds little Nelly to come forward, Melissa says she was sent a message from a stranger on Facebook who said they wouldn't give the dog back and were going to ensure she went to a 'safe, caring home'.

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The message read: "I believe you have lost your puppy. On 21.11.20 approximately 1pm your puppy was found roaming around Ashton-under-Lyne.

"The puppy was found safe and due to irresponsible owners, it has left me no choice to find it a safe, caring home.

"Please count yourself lucky you have not been reported to the RSPCA."

The person has since deleted their Facebook account.

Heartbroken Melissa says she's 'can't stop worrying' about Nelly.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, she said: "We found out that she was not in the house on Saturday just before 12pm.

"I rang the police and they said we had no evidence about her being stolen, so it couldn't be reported.

"I went around and checked my estate and everywhere."

Melissa is doubtful that the dog escaped and believes she could have been stolen.

She added: "The only gap that she could have got through was only about three fingers wide.

"I shared about her being missing on Facebook and then the woman sent my mum the message.


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"I'm unsure as to whether it was a false account.

"She just sent that one message and then nothing was going through. She deleted her account and we couldn't get in touch so we rang the police again.

"We had only had her for about a week and I can't stop worrying about her."

A spokesperson from Greater Manchester Police told the newspaper enquires are ongoing and urged anyone with any information to come forward.

They said: "At around 2.30pm on Saturday 21 November 2020, police were called to reports that a puppy had been stolen from a garden on Marlborough Street in Ashton-Under-Lyne.

"No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting incident number 1698 or 21/11/20, or to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Featured Image Credit: MEN Media

Topics: UK News, Animals, Dogs