Owner and dog reunited after seven years!

Published: Monday, 24th February 2025

Sevenoaks District Council’s Animal Welfare Team has reunited a dog with its owners, seven years after it went missing.

Wioleta Owczarek’s two dogs went missing in 2018 after the person she had paid to look after the beloved pets vanished without notice.

Wioleta and her partner eventually moved to Leeds, but still believed they would see their dogs again. Wioleta decided to update the microchip information to include her new address in the hope of their pets being found.

Last week, seven years after her disappearance, one of the dogs, Lola, was found in Swanley and picked up by Sevenoaks District Council’s Animal Welfare Team. As Wioleta had updated the microchip, it was easy to contact her, and the couple were reunited with Lola on Friday 21 February 2025.

Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener, Cllr Irene Roy, says: “It’s heartbreaking to lose a pet but Wioleta never gave up hope of finding her furry friends. Thanks to the amazing work of our Animal Welfare Team, we were able to make sure Lola was reunited with her family.

“This story shows how effective microchipping your animal is and how important it is to keep your dog’s chip details up-to-date.”

For further advice about dog ownership, visit www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/dogs.