Lailya the French Bulldog with her owner Lexie Gomez

AFTER more than five months of being apart, Lailya the dog and her owner Lexie Gomez finally got their happy ending after an emotional reunion, writes Charlotte Chambers.

Ms Gomez, a childminder, used to take Lailya with her everywhere before her beloved French Bulldog was snatched from her Essex Road home in May – along with her six four-day old puppies – before being sold on.

Ms Gomez said she wanted to let everyone know “this story has a happy ending” after being inundated with support from well-wishers following earlier appeals for help in finding her dog, who she described as her soulmate.

She said: “I just wanted to let everyone know, because some people read the paper every week – even some of my bosses, they were like, ‘Lexie you’re in the newspaper!’ And they read it, they knew about Lailya, some of them knew Lailya, some didn’t know the dog got stolen, and it was nice.

“The newspaper is a part of people’s life, to get the paper, [and] read it. I want to let everyone know it’s a happy story, she’s not out there any more, and good things do happen. Maybe rarely, but they do.”

Ms Gomez said she undertook her own detective work after police drew a blank on the whereabouts of her dog, and finally managed to track her down online. After several conversations, the new owners – apparently unaware they had bought stolen property – agreed to return Lailya to Ms Gomez, and dropped her off two weeks ago.

Describing the day that Lailya came home, she said: “As he brought her back, she jumped out of his lap. As soon as she realised where she was and she was home, I’m like, ‘Lailya!’ And I’m crying, I couldn’t believe it, I broke down.”

While she was unable to get the puppies back, the burglary is still under investigation.

A police spokesman said: “On Tuesday, 17 May, police received a report of theft after a number of puppies were stolen from a residential property in N1. “An investigation was launched and officers carried out a number of enquiries. On Friday, 9 September, a 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of burglary. “He has subsequently been released under investigation while further enquiries take place.”