Kipper - the pooch who gained celebrity status after being dognapped from outside Spalding pub - dies at 18

A pup which won the hearts of locals after dognapped outside a pub almost 20 years ago has sadly died.

Owner Allan Wilson confirmed that Kipper had passed away after 18 happy years following their reunion.

“He died in his sleep,” Pinchbeck resident Alan said.

“He was puffing and panting a little bit before he went to bed, but he wasn’t in pain.”

Kipper first became something of a local celebrity in 2006 when the crossbreed was stolen from the streets of Spalding less than 24 hours after Allan had agreed to buy him for £20 in the town’s Pied Calf pub.

Popping the pup in his pocket he headed home that night, returning the following evening to pay his debt.

But while Kipper was tethered outside an unknown thief stole him.

Desperate to be reunited with his pet pooch, Allan contacted The Spalding Guardian for help, launching a successful doghunt.

The paper ran an article asking readers if they had seen the missing pup and, thankfully, Allan received information that Kipper had been handed in to a local dog’s home.

A year later the Guardian ran a follow-up article asking whether any readers knew if man and dog had been reunited, but Allan decided to stay silent… until last January when Kipper returned to the news as Allan finally broke his silence.

It was then he revealed the story of how he woke up with a hangover and a dog chewing on his finger.

Without any dog food in the house he gave his pet some kippers, and the name stuck.

And for the following two decades, Kipper continued to thrive on a diet of dog food and Allan’s leftovers - veg and potatoes among his favourite grub.

“He loved good food and plenty of fresh air,” added Alan, who called our office this week to break the sad news.

He added that Kipper has been buried ‘in the back garden’ under a memorial tree.