A ROOFER has spoken of his relief after being reunited with his beloved pet dog, which was stolen from his van.

Eddie Fisher was working at a property in Southmoor near Kingston Bagpuize on November 28 when a thief took his wallet from the vehicle, and his four-year-old Border Cross Lakeland Terrier.

A week later, following an appeal on Facebook which reached more than 500,000 users, Arthur was found abandoned in Milton Keynes.

After being taken to a dog pound the microchipped pet was reunited with his owner.

Mr Fisher, 54, who lives near Swindon, said: “I felt really tearful when I got Arthur back - he goes with me everywhere.

“It’s such a relief to get him back - I think the thief must have thought he was too hot to handle once everyone starting sharing the story on Facebook and then he just abandoned him.

“It beggars belief that someone would take a dog from a van - I guess it was an opportunist theft.”

Mr Fisher thanked everyone who tried to help on Facebook and Twitter and Lisa Phipps, of DogLost’s Oxfordshire, a voluntary organisation which aims to reunite owners with their lost pets.