Stolen dog returns to family six years after she was snatched

A stolen dog has been reunited with her family six years after she was snatched from her home.

Cocker spaniel Fern was taken from the front porch of her home in Surrey, United Kingdom, leaving her family distraught.

Ethan Ferrier, then 2, was especially upset and penned a letter to whoever took Fern begging them to bring her back.

"To the bad men who took Fern. Can Fern come home now please. I miss her," he wrote, the Telegraph reports.

The family never gave up hope Fern would come back and continued to update the facebook page "Find Fern With Me" the whole time she was gone.

The most recent post before this week was on April 29, just over seven years to the day after Fern went missing.

The family was shocked to hear Fern had been found wandering the streets of Surrey on Thursday (nz time). A vet clinic took her in and scanned her microchip before calling owner Jodie Ferrier.

Ferrier was overwhelmed with joy and shared the news on Facebook. 

"It's been an agonising, heart-wrenching, sick-making, sleepless night enduring ordeal for 2272 days."

The family had relocated since Fern went missing and made the trip from the Isle of Wight to Surrey to pick her up.

Video posted to Facebook shows the moment Fern saw her family for the first time in six years, wagging her tail and jumping on her owners.

Ferrier said it was clear she remembered Ethan, who is now eight years old.

Fern was incredibly itchy with a flea and worm problem, but aside from that all she's picked up is a fear of men.

It's believed she was used as a puppy mill breeding dog. Ferrier says she will be desexed as soon as possible.

For now though the family is simply enjoying having the dog back and using Fern's new notoriety to encourage people to microchip their pets.

"I will be shouting it loudly for as long as people listen. Vets get scanning, scan me, keep your Info current," Ferrier wrote on Facebook.

"Miracles happen. Mine did."

Newshub.