Hackney riot dog reunited with owner
A lost dog that was found in the wake of the Hackney riots has been reunited with his owner.
Two-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier Major didn’t have a collar, tag or microchip when he was found wandering Hackney’s streets on his own by a police officer, so Battersea Dogs & Cats Home charity had no way of tracing his owner.
But on Thursday evening news programme ITV London Tonight ran a story about the dog and he was spotted by owner Jade Hegarty from Lewisham.
She was shocked to see him on TV, as she had just re-homed him to another family in Tooting through an ad on Gumtree.
But when Jade called them to ask why Major was now at Battersea, the family said he had chewed things in their house and escaped, and didn’t seem to care he was missing
Jade believes her pooch was attempting to make his way back to Lewisham, but somehow got caught up in the Hackney unrest.
She said: “He must have been very stressed to be in a new place, and just wanted to get home. I wonder what he saw during the disturbance in Hackney.
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“He loves to raid the biscuit tin at home, so I just hope he didn’t try and loot any butchers.
“I completely regret giving him up, and I would never advise anyone to rehome a pet on Gumtree,” she added.
Battersea is appealing for owners to ensure their dogs or cats are microchipped and have a collar and tag, so they can be swiftly reunited with their pets if necessary.