They say the heartache, sleepless nights and worry about a stolen pet being thrown as bait into what are believed to be widespread national dog-fighting rings are excruciating.
Tears of joy, some security cameras and ''lots more padlocks'' have followed the safe return of English bulldog George to Mellissa and Chris Teneti.
They are to pay a $2000 reward to Oamaru couple Katelin Fleming and Chris Mulligan, who contacted them after George was found by truck driver Mr Mulligan, drinking from a muddy puddle on rural Georgetown-Ngapara road, 45km inland from Oamaru. He was 105km from his home in Maple Cres, Timaru.
Mr Mulligan's suspicions were aroused by the actions of the occupants of a green, late 1990s Holden Commodore, seen parked just along the road from where George was drinking.
Ms Fleming, a part-time dog control officer for the Waitaki District Council, confirmed George's identity with a microchip reading.
She said last week that George was one of three dogs she was aware of through her work that had been reported as stolen in the last two weeks.
Two were bulldogs, one from Oamaru and one from Maheno. Chris Teneti said Ms Fleming and Mr Mulligan would be paid the $2000 reward, ''even though they said they did not want it, instead just being happy to find George for us''.
''Katelin had contacted my sister-in-law, who had put an ad on the website Paw Justice, and then rang me.
"The sound of those numbers matching the records I was holding was simply beautiful. I was shaking and crying. It was like getting all the right Lotto numbers,'' she said.
When George went missing on the evening of September 29, after their front door was accidentally left open,. she ''just knew'' he had been stolen.
''He's not a wanderer and has never been missing before.''
