WATCH: Stolen Husky Hunter reunited with family after search leads to Lamontville - IOL

Hunter was reunited with his family on Monday afternoon.

A three-year-old Husky stolen from a Merebank home was reunited with his family after residents traced him to Lamontville.

At the time he was reported missing, CCTV footage showed Hunter with about five young men outside a house in Merebank on Sunday afternoon.

He was found yesterday afternoon in Lamontville.

Merebank resident Jane Pillay said Hunter belonged to her daughter Aishwarya Pillay.

She said when Aishwarya called out to Hunter on Sunday afternoon and realised that he was missing, their family began a search for him.

“We checked the neighbours CCTV cameras and saw that he was with a group of men who were trying to steal another dog from the area.

“The men had about five dogs with them at the time, all of which are suspected to be stolen pets.

“Hunter was dragged out of our gate and taken to the Merebank Shopping Centre, where he was spotted by residents.

“He was then taken to Lamontville. I had an idea to post a message about our search for Hunter on a Lamontville crime watch group on Facebook.

“People started responding to the post and claimed that they saw some boys with Hunter in Lamontville,” Pillay added.

She said she posted her daughter’s number on the page, and someone contacted her and sent a photograph of the dog.

“It was a close-up photograph indicating that the person was with the dog.

“We could not get much assistance from the police, so I called Winnie Mkhize, manager of the Merewent Cheshire Homes, for assistance.

“Winnie contacted South African Ultimate Protection Services, and a security guard was sent to accompany us to Lamontville.

“When my daughter got there and opened the car door, Hunter broke free from the men and ran into the car.

“They then noticed that there were about 10 men who had surrounded the area they were parked at. There were also two cars parked on either side of them.

“The security officer and he instructed them to all leave the area immediately,” Pillay added.

She warned other pet owners to be alert when searching for their missing or stolen pets.

“There were many other dogs stolen from the neighbourhood on the same day. It seems that this group is targeting pets so that they can ambush the owners. We are thankful to the security officer and to Winnie for their assistance. We are happy to have Hunter back home,” Pillay added.