Beaming from ear to ear, a family are over the moon at the safe return of their 11 stolen pedigree puppies.

Mark and Julie Kennedy launched a large-scale search for the golden retriever pups when they were taken from their home in Westwell on Monday, January 6 – even offering a reward of up to £1,000 for their return.

But the much-loved animals were discovered two days later, dumped in a garage in Lower Denmark Road, Ashford.

The couple's daughter Jasmin Spinks said: "We got them back!

"I would just like to say a huge thank you to everybody that shared the post, watched the news and told people to share!

"Because of all of your support we got our puppies back and we are over the moon!

"I'm so happy and grateful for everybody's efforts! So happy!"

The puppies were found when a member of the public called police after hearing cries coming from the lock-up garage last Wednesday afternoon.

Officers discovered the fluffy pups tied up in a sheet - cold, hungry and covered in paint.

They took them to Ashford police station in Tufton Street, where they were met by the delighted Kennedy family.

After being checked by a vet, the puppies – who were born from two litters – were re-united with their mothers, the Kennedys' two pets, Ellie and Georgie.

The puppies had been staying in a heated room in a garage at the Kennedys' property, in Watery Lane, with their mothers when they were stolen.

The Kennedys, along with their five children, have been staying at a rented house close by during the last few months since their house was deemed unlivable following a major fire last April.

At first, they were living in a mobile home on site, but moved to the house when the weather turned cold.

Mrs Kennedy said: "We had hoped to be back in our house by September, but that just didn't happen.

"For the first three weeks, the puppies were living inside the mobile home with us.

"We had to move because some of our trees had fallen down. It was too dangerous to live on site. But we are at the house all day. We also come back in the evenings to feed the dogs."

The burglary is believed to have taken place between 8pm on Monday, January 6, and 8am on Tuesday, January 7.

As well as taking the puppies, thieves took several power tools, a generator and a sit-on lawn mower.

Anyone with information on the raid is asked to phone police on 101.