Delight as five stolen basset hounds found

The five working basset hounds stolen from their kennels in February have been found.

They were taken between 5pm on 17 February and 7.30am on 18 February from Westerby Basset Hounds’ kennels in Leicestershire. Yesterday (7 April), Drama, Lattice, Landlord and Banish had been found, and the search continued for the remaining missing hound, an 18-month-old bitch named Bashful, but it has been confirmed today that she has also been found safe.

A hunt spokesman said they “cannot thank enough” the “thousands of people” who have helped them.

“We are very happy that they have been found safe,” he said.

A member of the public contacted the hunt on 3 April after spotting one of the missing hounds.

Representatives from Beauty’s Legacy, a voluntary group that uses social media to reunite lost and found animals, liaised with the person and Leicestershire and Greater Manchester Police.

Following further investigations, police found two of the bassets at one address and two more at a second property, both in the Greater Manchester area, over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Three people – two women and a man – were arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods by officers from Greater Manchester Police. They have all been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

Sergeant Paul Archer, from the Harborough and Wigston Neighbourhood Policing Area (NPA), said he is pleased the hounds have been found.

“I would like to thank both the public for their assistance in locating the dogs and colleagues from Greater Manchester Police for recovering them,” he said.

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Polly Portwin from the Countryside Alliance said: “A huge thank you to the thousands of people who helped share our initial appeal on Facebook.

“We have witnessed a number of recent thefts of dogs, particularly of working breeds and we urge all dog owners to be incredibly vigilant.”

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