LATEST: Found!

Dog lover Melissa Coomber is overjoyed after her missing pet Frankie was returned following an appeal on Kent Online.

Frankie, an eight-year-old white and beige Shih Tzu, ran off early on Friday morning, and despite repeated attempts to trace him by 20-year-old Miss Coomber he was still missing yesterday lunchtime. Fears began to grow that the pedigree pet had been dog-napped.

But within hours on an appeal on Kent Online, Frankie was handed back to his owner by a women who had found him the day before and then read the about the appeal online.

Miss Coomber of Farleigh Lane, Barming, said: "A family found him in the orchards round the back of the home and kept him at their house until they saw the article on Kent Online. They phoned me at 4pm the same day and brought him back straight away.

"It's such a relief to know that he's safe and he's back home, we was so worried we wouldn't get him back!

"I'm so very grateful. Thanks everyone."