A relieved greyhound trainer is overjoyed to be reunited with her two puppies after they were stolen from her garden during a night-time break in.

The seven-month old pups went missing from outdoor kennels at a property in Dewlish, near Puddletown.

Owner Jennie Sims, who has been breeding and training greyhounds for the last decade, found the two wounded dogs five days after they were taken following a determined social media appeal for their safe return.

She said: “I am absolutely over the moon they are home, I can’t describe how happy I am.

“I was really starting to panic they wouldn’t come back after all the appeals I had put out and nothing was coming back.”

Only one male called Duke and one female named Tink were stolen from among a litter of seven, although another dog was injured in the process.

Miss Sims discovered the dogs missing when she went to check on them at around 5.30am and immediately alerted police.

She said: “There were no obvious signs of forced entry, but I found two footprints which weren’t mine and a neighbour reported their dog barking mad at around 2am, which usually means something when you’re in the middle of nowhere.”

Tink was found by a resident running along Blandford Road last Thursday morning and Duke was found in a nearby field by a dog walker later that afternoon.

Miss Sims said: “Both dogs are completely traumatised, but Duke was in a much worse condition. When we found him, he was screaming in pain. All his pads are shredded to pieces and he can’t walk.

“He has lost over half is body weight in just the few days they were missing, both of their bones are protruding very badly.”

Miss Sims has since invested in CCTV and extra security.

It is hoped the two dogs will make a full recovery by the time they are 14 months old and begin race training.