What started as an ordinary Monday morning quickly turned into a moment Faye Grogan never imagined would happen.
After more than five long years filled with heartbreak and unanswered questions, Faye and her family have finally been reunited with their beloved chihuahua, Bea, who mysteriously vanished back in early 2020.
The now 34-year-old mum from Penshaw, Sunderland, couldn’t believe her ears when she received a call out of the blue from a veterinary clinic telling her Bea had been found — alive, well, and just 13 miles away in Newcastle.
The Day Bea Disappeared: A Nightmare That Never Ended
It was January 16, 2020, when the nightmare began.
Bea, who was just a year old at the time, had been playing in the garden with her sister, Lady, when she suddenly disappeared.
Despite desperate searches and calls echoing through the neighborhood streets as night fell, there was no sign of her.
“The panic set in really fast,” Faye recalled in an interview with The Northern Echo.
“It was getting dark quickly, and we were shouting down every single street to find her.
We just felt nothing — it didn’t make sense.
The past five years have been filled with heartbreak, just thinking the worst.”
Hope Was the Only Thing They Had Left
Faye and her mother, 68-year-old Karen Culkin, never stopped hoping.
Even though the trail had long gone cold, they clung to the belief that Bea might somehow return.
The family created a Facebook page in Bea’s name, drawing in hundreds of kind-hearted pet lovers who joined them in the mission to bring Bea home.
It became more than a missing dog case — it became a community effort.
But with each passing year, that hope grew quieter… until now.
A Random Encounter on the Road Changed Everything
On May 26, something incredible happened. A man driving his wife to work spotted a small dog darting in front of his car on a road in Newcastle.
Concerned, he scooped her up and brought her to Westway Veterinary Hospital in Fenham. There, the dog was scanned for a microchip — and just like that, five years of mystery were unraveled.
The chip revealed that this little chihuahua was none other than Bea, missing since 2020.
She was alive, safe, and in surprisingly good health.
Disbelief, Tears, and a Voicemail That Changed Everything
At first, Faye thought the voicemail from the vets was some kind of prank.
“When they confirmed it was her, I was crying down the phone,” she said.
“The girl on the phone even got emotional when I told her Bea had been missing for five years — she had goosebumps.”
It was the kind of call no one ever expects — but it was real. Bea was coming home.
Five Years, Four Months, One Week, and Three Days Later…
The reunion was nothing short of emotional.
Faye, who shares her home with her two daughters — 12-year-old Rosie and 8-year-old Madalay — shared the incredible news on Bea’s Facebook page with heartfelt words:
“The day we never thought would come finally arrived.
And five years, four months, one week and three days of torture is finally over. O
ur hearts are now full again. Never ever give up hope.”
Karen echoed the sentiment, saying:
“We finally got her home, our beautiful Bea. She’s back where she was always meant to be.
We never gave up. Our broken hearts aren’t broken anymore.”
Could Someone Else Have Been Caring for Bea All This Time?
Given Bea’s healthy and well-groomed condition when she was found, Faye and her mum believe she may have been living with another family who didn’t realise she was missing.
While that’s just speculation, Northumbria Police have yet to confirm any concrete findings on how Bea spent the last five years.
Still, the most important part of the story is that she’s safe, loved, and finally back with her original family.
A Message to Every Dog Owner: Don’t Skip the Chip
Faye is now using her emotional reunion as a reminder for other pet owners to microchip their animals.
“Please get your dogs chipped — without it, we would never have seen Bea again,” she urged.
“She wasn’t neglected by any means, and she still escaped. It can happen.”
One Family’s Long Wait Ends in the Best Way Possible
For the Grogan family, the pain of the past five years may never fully fade, but Bea’s return has brought healing they weren’t sure they’d ever get.
From desperation to disbelief to joyful reunion — this is one of those rare stories that proves miracles can happen, even when hope feels lost.
Northumbria Police have been approached for comment on Bea’s case, but for now, the Grogan family is just happy to have their girl back where she belongs.