29-05-2025
Missing chihuahua Bea is reunited with delighted family five YEARS after disappearing during Covid
An overjoyed family have been reunited with their beloved dog more than five years after she first went missing.
Faye Grogan, 34, from Penshaw, Sunderland, was devastated after her one-year-old chihuahua Bea vanished without a trace in early 2020 while playing in the garden with her sister, Lady, on January 16, 2020.
Despite desperate attempts to find their four-legged friend, Bea's whereabouts remained an utter mystery, with her heartbroken family speculating that she may have escaped through a hole in the fence.
Speaking to the Northern Echo about her traumatic disappearance, Ms Grogan said that upon discovering her young pet was missing, 'the panic set in really fast'.
She added: 'It was becoming dark really fast. We were shouting down every single street to find her.
'We just felt this nothingness - it didn't make sense. The past five years have been upsetting, just thinking of the worst.'
Devastated by the unexpected disappearance of their four-legged friend, Ms Grogan, alongside her mother, Karen Culkin, 68, said they never gave up hope she would be returned.
The pair, who described living in 'utter turmoil' since the day she vanished, even set up a Facebook page in Bea's name which gained the support of hundreds of pet-loving members deeply invested in returning Bea home.
Now, more than five years on, her overjoyed owners have been left in utter disbelief at Bea's discovery, having been handed into the vets nearly 13 miles from home.
On Monday, May 26, Ms Grogan received an unexpected call from the vets, reporting that Bea had been discovered by a member of the public on the road in Newcastle.
The man, who was driving his wife to work at the time, had seen Bea run out in front of his car. Deciding to take her to Westway Veterinary Hospital in Fenham, she was then scanned for a microchip where it was discovered she had been missing since early 2020.
Given the fit and healthy condition the young pet was found in, her owners have speculated that perhaps Bea had been living with a different family who were unaware she was missing.
However, police are yet to have found any evidence to substantiate such claims.
Recalling the heartwarming moment she discovered her beloved pet had been found, Ms Grogan, who said that she initially thought the voicemail script from the vets had come from a 'prankster', said: 'When they confirmed it was her, I was crying down the phone.
'The girl on the phone said even she was tearing up when I told her Bea had been missing for five years - she had goosebumps.'
Taking to Facebook to share their long-awaited reunion, Ms Grogan, who has two daughters, Rosie, 12, and eight-year-old Madalay, gushed: 'The day we never thought would come finally arrived.
Recalling the heartwarming moment she discovered her beloved pet had been found, Ms Grogan, who said that she initially thought the voicemail script from the vets had come from a 'prankster', said: 'When they confirmed it was her, I was crying down the phone'
Taking to Facebook to share her relief at Bea's finding, Ms Culkin said: 'We finally got her home, our beautiful Bea. 'She is back where she was always meant to be. We never gave up. Our broken hearts aren't broken anymore.
'And five years, four months, one week and three days of torture is finally over.' Our hearts are now full again. Never ever give up hope.
'The support and co-operation from everyone has been overwhelming and if I could I'd personally thank each and every person.'
Meanwhile, Ms Culkin added: 'We finally got her home, our beautiful Bea.
'She is back where she was always meant to be. We never gave up. Our broken hearts aren't broken anymore.'
Utilising Bea's story as an opportunity to encourage fellow dog owners to get their pets microchipped, Ms Grogan added: 'Please get your dogs chipped, without it we would never have seen Bea again.
'She wasn't neglected by any means, and she still escaped. It can happen.'
