A STOLEN dog has been reunited with her owners after being found 80 miles away from their Oxford home.

Jessie, an 18-month-old lurcher, was taken from outside the Sainsbury’s supermarket, at Heyford Hill, in September.

Owner Aurelian Koch, of Oxford Road, Littlemore, said he had tied the dog to a lamp-post, instead of leaving her in the car, because it was such a hot day.

Thieves, who were recorded on the supermarket’s CCTV security cameras, untied Jessie’s lead and walked off with her.

Mr Koch, his partner Lucy O’Rourke, and their children Phoenix, seven, and Otis, four, gave up hope of ever finding their pet and started looking for a new dog.

But they were reunited after Jessie was found wandering alone and abandoned on a farm in Blaby, Leicestershire.

Thanks to her identification micro-chip, the Petlog scheme, which is run by the Kennel Club and RSPCA, was able to track down her owners.

Mr Koch said: “It was a sunny day so I obviously didn’t want to leave Jessie in the car, so I just tied her to a post while I quickly popped into the supermarket.

“Even though it was just a brief time, when I got out, she was gone, which I regret so much.

“I was so distraught. I just didn’t know what to do.

“We had only had Jessie for six weeks, and she had been settling into the family well, becoming a calming, joyous influence on our lives, and my two children just adored her.

“I couldn’t believe she had been found safe and well, and it was all down to the lovely farmer who took her in, the vet and the Petlog team.”

Mr Koch said he had not slept properly for around a month, due to worry.

He added: “The call from Petlog was music to my ears.

“As soon as I brought her back we were a family again, and my partner and children were absolutely delighted.”

Jessie was stolen on September 19 and found on October 12.

She was walking around a farm on her own when the farmer found her. He took her home, gave her a bath and later dropped the pet off at a local vet’s surgery.

When Mr Koch heard Jessie had been found, he immediately drove to Leicestershire.

The family had displayed dozens of posters on lamp-posts in Oxford and surrounding areas appealing for help.

Caroline Kisko, communications director at the Kennel Club said: “Although we would strongly recommend that dogs are never simply tied to a lamp-post anywhere, we’re delighted to have been able to reunite the Koch family with their beloved family pet.

“This latest happy ending goes to show how important it is to have your dog permanently identified and its details kept up to date.”

Police believe that lurchers like Jessie are often stolen to be used in hare coursing.