DAYS of anguish came to a joyful conclusion for a Pembrokeshire family this morning after their beloved dog Daisy was found.

The 13-year-old Welsh Springer Spaniel disappeared from the Sutton family’s garden at Spittal on Friday of last week, and was believed to have been stolen.

But earlier today (Thursday) came the news that Daisy had been found a short distance from their home.

A neighbour saw the dog in a nearby field and rang 20-year-old Bethan Sutton, who with her younger brother and sister Dafydd and Anwen and parents Mary and Marcus, had been heartbroken at the thought of what could have happened to Daisy.

“I was in uni at the time, but I rang my dad and he rushed home from work,” said Bethan. “Daisy was in an absolute state, stinking dirty and just skin and bone, but she bounded up to him straight away.

“We really thought we were never going to get her back, so we are all just absolutely over the moon.

“We’re so grateful to our neighbour Victoria for spotting her, and for the hundreds of people who were looking out for Daisy and sharing our posts on social media.”

Daisy’s disappearance came within days of the theft of Mabli, another Welsh Springer Spaniel from rural Pembrokeshire, who is thought to have been taken because of her breeding potential.

Mabli, who has not yet been found, was in season when she went missing from near New Moat, and her potential value, with a litter of pups, is around £5,000.

The Suttons feared at Daisy may have been taken for the same reason, because she looks much younger than her age.

“We are still convinced she had been stolen from us, as she vanished from a secure garden,” said Bethan. “We’re really wondering if, because of all the publicity, that she became too hot to handle and was dumped.”

The family may never know how Daisy returned home, but it has made her all the more precious to them.

“She’s had food and a walk round the garden, and now she’s going to have a very big bath and be wrapped in a blanket by the radiator,” said Bethan. “Having her back home with us is just the best news we could have.”