Eva Stadaniova was joyfully reunited with her black and brown crossbreed American and Staffordshire bull terrier Nikita on Monday night 17 days after she was stolen from outside the Grand Arcade.

The 23-year-old Slovak made an impassioned plea for information about her pet's whereabouts amidst concern that the two-year-old pooch cannot understand English.

Eva and her boyfriend Radovan picked Nikita up from an address in Worsley Mesnes following a chance meeting between the man who found her and a translator who was working with the Wigan dog warden and Eva in an effort to find Nikita.

The man had been looking after Nikita for two weeks after taking her off two children who were attempting to hit her in Wigan town centre.
He contacted the warden because he was finding Nikita too difficult to handle and on a visit to Leigh Cats and Dogs home ran into the translator and warden, who realised the dog in question was Nikita.

A spokeswoman for the Wigan Animal Warden Service said: "It was lucky that they were both there at the same time and something clicked. It was a very lucky coincidence."

Eva added: "I don't know who took Nikita but I know now who has looked after her for the last two weeks and I will be obliged to him all my life for that."
Police are treating the incident as a crime and inquries are on going.