A heartbroken Dundee pensioner was reduced to tears after hearing he will be reunited with his beloved puppy Rosco.
Leonard Ormond, 82, wept with joy after being told his stolen eight-month old puppy had been traced safe and well.
Border-terrier, Rosco, became the most famous dog in Dundee after he was stolen from the garden of his elderly owner last month.
Appeals for the puppy’s location have been shared more than one million times and several celebrities, including Lorraine Kelly and DJ Sara Cox, made public pleas.
The Courier revealed the good news on Wednesday that Rosco had been found unharmed.
He will now be reunited with his delighted family over the coming days.
Leonard’s daughter, Fiona Ormond, revealed Leonard’s entire family have been left overjoyed by the news.
She revealed: “I was on the phone to my cousin Gill when I got the confirmation.
“As soon as I told my dad that was him in floods of tears.
“My dad is very emotional. He’s been saying he thinks Facebook is wonderful.
“We’re all so happy, we just can’t get over it. We can’t believe it.”
Though she did fear the worst at times, Fiona admits she never gave up hope of Rosco being found.
She said: “In the back of the mind there is always that wee bit of hope.
“We cannot wait to get him back home. The whole family and wider community are so happy.
“Now it’s just about getting him home.”
Linda Quinn, from the Dundee Missing Pets Facebook Page, who have worked tirelessly to keep Rosco in the public eye, described the announcement as “fabulous news”.
She added: “Apparently Rosco has become too hot to handle.
“We are all so happy for the family.
“There are a lot of negative things said about social media, but this is proof it can offer a lot of positives too.
“There is a slight tinge of sadness because we wonder what the people responsible for the theft will do next, but it is still absolutely fabulous news.”