The tiny dog was found thanks to a drone search of a town on Scotland’s coast
Kirstie McCrum Network Content Editor and Sally Hind
13:13, 14 Jan 2026
The missing French Bulldog was found in Scotland(Image: )
A ‘stolen’ bulldog has been discovered hundreds of miles from home in Scotland, five months later, thanks to a drone search.
Tilly, a French bulldog, is en route back to Manchester today after being located 200 miles away in Ayr.
The not-for-profit organisation, Ayrshire Drone Dog Rescue, stated that the pet was found with assistance from police forces in both areas, local vets, and members of the public.
In a statement, the rescue said: “On Monday we were asked to assist with locating Tilly, a French bulldog who had been stolen from Manchester and was believed to be in the Ayr area.
“Yesterday, Tilly was successfully traced and is safe. We would like to sincerely thank everyone who helped – local vets, Police Scotland, Greater Manchester Police and members of the public, for their support and cooperation,” reports the Daily Record.
“We deliberately did not share details on our page and asked for related posts to be removed from local groups while we looked into the situation, in order to protect Tilly’s safety.
“We will share a further update once she is safely back with her family, who are missing her dearly.”
Expressing her gratitude, Tilly’s owner thanked the rescue and all those involved in finding her.
Posting on Facebook, she wrote: “Thank you so much for everything you are doing we really appreciate it we just need our baby home now.”
Police Scotland has been contacted for a comment.
The group that located Tilly is a voluntary service dedicated to reuniting missing dogs in Ayrshire and promoting animal welfare.
The organisation claims to have brought together hundreds of missing and found dogs since its inception in June 2022.
The rescue centre stated it employed “advanced hi-tech equipment” and a team of “dedicated volunteers” in its operations.
On Monday, it made an appeal for information regarding a dog that was allegedly abandoned whilst tethered and discovered injured near Dalmellington.
It revealed it had been informed about the pup, which was discovered secured to a tree in the vicinity of the Craigengillan area.