A BOY of 14 has been charged with the theft of a Jack Russell after footage of it being snatched went viral.

Pet Mela was grabbed from devastated Oliwier Pater, eight, while out walking two weeks ago.

Footage of tearful Oliwier chasing the thief in Crewe, Cheshire, was shared online more than 15,000 times.

After the family launched a campaign to find Mela, they were reunited on Friday 11th January thanks to an anonymous tip-off.

Dad Adrian Pater said: "We put in a lot of effort with posters, knocking on doors and the community helped us set up a social media page.

"When we found her, Mela recognised us straight away, when we picked her up she licked our faces.

"I think everything is going to be a lot better now", Mr Pater said.

He said Oliwier, who had his eighth birthday four days after Mela went missing, was ecstatic when they were reunited.

“When we brought her home, he couldn’t believe it, he was in heaven.”

Police said the boy of 14, who cannot be named, would appear in court.