A dog owner said she will "never leave" her pet spaniel again after he was stolen from outside a supermarket.

Philomena Hynes, of North Finchley, was distraught when Ted was taken from outside Tesco Express in Friern Barnet Lane, New Southgate, on Saturday December 8.

She immediately contacted police and put posters up around the neighbourhood offering a £500 reward for the safe return of her beloved Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Eager to help, more than 52, 820 people took to Twitter in an attempt to track down the missing dog.

Last Wednesday Mrs Hynes’ son-in-law received a phone call from a young girl who said she had found Ted tied to a gate in Friary Park, Friern Barnet. 

Mrs Hynes said: “I couldn’t believe it. It’s absolutely fantastic and I’m so elated. I’m thrilled to bits to have Ted back.

“I was so stressed and upset I never want to go through that again. Ted’s fine but I will never ever leave him again. I definitely won’t be leaving him outside a supermarket, even if there’s a doorman there.”

Mrs Hynes has been warning other dog owners about the perils of leaving their pets while shopping.

Yesterday she spotted one dog tied to a railing and decided to stay with it until its owner came back.

She added: “I warned him about what happened to Ted. I just felt I had to make him aware.”