Therapy dog Mabel at Teynham Primary School found in Darenth Country Park after being ‘stolen’ from assistant head teacher’s home in Hucking

An adored school therapy dog has been found nearly 30 miles away from home.

Emma Butler, assistant head teacher at Teynham CofE Primary, near Sittingbourne, had told KentOnline of her heartbreak after four-year-old Mabel went missing three days ago.

The 48-year-old immediately burst into tears with the relief of hearing that her pup was safe.

“I just kept saying ‘they found her, they found her,” she said. “You have to live and experience something like this to understand.

“I haven’t eaten, I haven’t slept. I've been anxiety cleaning and trying to keep busy with these mundane tasks.”

As a qualified therapy dog, Mabel has been going into the school every Wednesday for almost two years.

The pooch provides emotional support and comfort to many of the pupils, especially those who have anxiety or behavioural issues.

“She is a very much-loved member of our school,” Emma previously said during her appeal.

“This extends far beyond just me and my family. There are now 200 children who are absolutely devastated.”

The pup was last seen at around 9am on Thursday, January 8 at her home on Hazel Street Road, near Hucking, between Maidstone and Sittingbourne.

Emma's husband, Mark, had been mucking out the stables, with Mabel having free rein of the outside yard as normal.

Despite living in a rural area, she says her dog would never wander off and is incredibly streetwise due to her past.

Mark realised Mabel wasn't nearby but assumed she had gone back to the house.

After heading inside an hour later, he realised this wasn’t the case.

This afternoon (January 11), Emma received a call with the amazing news that her dog had been handed into the Mead Veterinary Centre in Dartford.

She added: “I just ran and got in the car – I won’t be surprised if we get a ticket for speeding.

“I kept thinking, what if this is a hoax? Because I'd already had a couple of WhatsApp messages from absolute scumbags who wanted money.

“We went in and just collapsed on the floor. They took a lovely photo of us together.”

Over the last few days, Emma and her family had spent hours searching in the surrounding woods and roads, but sadly, there was no sign of her.

The assistant head teacher noted that there weren’t any trails of blood or fur that could indicate Mabel had been hit, and because of this, she believes she was stolen.

There had also been no sightings from the neighbours.

Kent Police had confirmed that they had received reports that a dog was stolen from the property and were conducting inquiries.

Emma said: “They [the vets] wouldn't tell me who'd handed her in, but said she'd been found in Darenth Country Park.

“The ironic thing is that she's been found cleaner than she's probably ever been in her life.

“I don't know what has happened over the last few days, but the dog has doubled its body weight.

“She's definitely eaten her way through the trauma.”

The park is nearly 30 miles away from their home and is around a 40-minute drive.

The Puli, a breed of herding dog, was rescued two-and-a-half years ago after being found on the streets in Hungary with an injured paw.

A charity called Hungary Hearts Dog Rescue neutered her and applied for a passport.

Emma never met Mabel in person until she had already committed to adoption, but says she “never looked back”.

“She's got a massive personality and people who meet her fall in love with her,” she said. “She has never put a paw out of place.”

Emma wants to thank KentOnline for their support and the general public for sharing the appeal.