There is a paws, he hesitates then decides he has to flea, with the picture under his arm.
The tail of the missing dog - an even better story than the ‘my dog has no nose' joke - was caught on the pub’s CCTV and can be downloaded at https://we.tl/xKeeKIOHy7
Armed with the added bite of CCTV footage the pub had a lead and with dogged determination staff appealed for the safe return of their prized pooch pic.
Week of walkies
Guess what? After a week of walkies it was delivered back to the pub anonymously in some style by taxi with a note attached that read "’I’m home! Sorry I ran off with that strange man the other night. I think the heat got to me and I felt all adventurous! I hope you take me back with open arms as it was just a fling and meant nothing to me! I missed you guys. (A sophisticated) Wooof!"
Owner of the Grafton Arms, Mitch Tillman, said “We were absolutely amazed at the audacity of the thief to steal one of our unique pictures in plain sight.
“They are so popular, and sometimes customers will ask if they are available for sale, but this is the first time someone has simply stolen one in front of staff."
Twist in the tail
He added: “However, there was a twist in the ‘tail’ and fortunately for us it was returned in a £30 Addison Lee taxi with a rather amusing apology.
“We treasure our paintings of smartly-dressed dogs, which adorn the walls of the bar and the pub's boutique guest rooms.”
The pub is now keeping a closer eye on its collection of pictures. As the saying goes ‘Once bitten, twice shy.”