For two days Otumoetai's Christina Morrison and Aaron Davies wondered if they'd ever wrap their arms around their beloved Sammy again.

Anyone who has lost a much-loved pet will understand Christina's and Aaron's absolute heartbreak when Sammy disappeared, and their unbridled joy when they got the call on Friday telling them the loveable nine-year-old Golden Retriever had been found.

'I was starting to think the worse, you see all those stories about missing pets which are never found and things about dog fight clubs and pets being used as bait, just horrible stuff,” says Christina.

'But when we got the phone call saying Sammy had been found, it was awesome, really awesome. Aaron and I just burst into tears because we had been thinking we'd never see her again.”

On Wednesday Sammy, a well-known pooch in the Ngatai Road area, vanished without a trace, leaving her owners absolutely baffled.

The disappearance was completely out of character for Sammy, she's not prone to wandering, and in fact, she'll often sit at the front gate of the couple's house, watching the world go by waiting for her family to return, says Christina.

'It was really unusual for her to leave her roadside spot as she knows we will be home soon, and we're convinced now someone took her.

'While she was gone our house was like a train station, people coming and going offering to help search for Sammy and hand out flyers. So many people wanted to help find Sammy, it was amazing.”

Then on Friday the call they had been waiting for finally came.

It turned out Sammy had shown up on the deck of a couple's house in Sterling Gate on Cambridge Road. After notifying the Tauranga City Council of their discovery, a First Security guard by the name of Jill was dispatched to collect her.

Jill also happens to be Christina and Aaron's neighbour.

'Jill was so excited, she told us she wanted to call us that Sammy had been found but she had to go grab the van and go on and get Sammy's microchipped checked to make sure it was her.

'When she called us I was so excited that I actually hung up on Jill and rushed outside before I realised she wasn't there yet,” Christina says laughing. 'I had to call Jill back and ask her how far away she was.”

Moments later a very stressed and dehydrated Sammy was back in Christina and Aaron's arms.

Christina says since Sammy's return a number of people have contacted the couple to report they'd seen their dog at various locations in and around the Otumoetai and Matua areas.

'When we got Sammy back she was missing her bling-bling chain which had all her dog registration tags on it. We had a call from a lady who was adamant that she saw Sammy down at Fergusson Park being dragged off by a man.

'It's a bit of mystery where Sammy's been during those two days, and whether or not someone had taken her.”

'But she's home now and that's what matter. I want to thank everyone who helped find Sammy, especially the police who were really amazing, the Tauranga City Council, and everyone who either shared the Facebook post or kept an eye out for her.”

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