Teenager Jessica Rovoredo is dancing on air after finally being re-united with her stolen puppy.

The 15-year-old schoolgirl received numerous phone calls after she appealed for the public's help in The Royal Gazette two days ago.

Zeka the Pitbull cross was taken out of the family's backyard in Pembroke more than a fortnight ago.

And despite constant searching by Jessica and her elder sister Paula, they failed to find her.

But on Tuesday night, after following up a number of possible sightings of the puppy, which is now 15-weeks-old, they finally traced her to a house in Devonshire.

The teenage boy looking after Zeka handed her straight back after claiming that he found her wandering for three days in the Loyal Hill area.

Sisters celebrate return of Zeka Yesterday, Jessica, a pupil at CedarBridge Academy, thanked members of the public for helping to find the pup and said she and her family were delighted to have her home.

She said: "As soon as I saw her I knew it was Zeka. She came running straight up to us and got very excited.

"She is such a distinctive dog, we knew it was her. And she has settled straight back in at home. It is just like she has never been away.

"She has grown a bit in the three weeks she was gone, and she seems a bit skinny now, but we can soon fix that.

"Paula and I are just glad to have her back. We can't believe it.'' Jessica reported her dog missing to Police at the time she disappeared and yesterday she said she planned to inform them of where they found her.

Island vets and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have urged anyone who has a dog stolen to contact Police straight away.

Dog theft, particularly puppies, is a growing problem, but they said it could not be solved unless the crimes were reported.

Jessica added: "I can't believe people were so helpful. The phone rang off the hook all day on Tuesday after the story appeared in the paper.

"We are very grateful to everyone.'' Anyone who has a dog stolen should report the incident to Police on 295-0011.