A GROUP set up to help desperate dog owners find their missing pets has celebrated its first anniversary.

More than 40 missing dog stories have had happy endings thanks to the hard work and dedication of Tilly’s Angels.

The group was established last year in memory of Tilly, a cockapoo who went missing in Shoebury and who sadly died on a railway line in Southend.

Her owner Emma Waddell, 34, teamed up with Helene Leader, 55, and Ann Cushion, 57, to form Tilly’s Angels.

The group now has more than 3,000 members on Facebook and a core team of about 15 volunteers.

Miss Cushion said: “Tilly’s Angels plays a different part each time a dog goes missing. It might be that a member shares a post about a missing dog and someone recognises them, it might be that we have been searching for days and nights for the dog.

“We always felt that looking for lost dogs was a team effort and Tilly’s Angels proves that there is an amazing community of dog lovers. Everyone knows how awful it would be if it was their dog and when a dog is reunited there is often not a dry eye in the house. It can be very emotional.”

Recent successes include finding Beau, who went missing from Wickford and was eventually found after ten days in Waltham Abbey after an intensive search.

Thanks to donations, the team has been able to buy equipment to help with their searches - including night vision binoculars and thermal cameras, which can help find dogs stuck down rabbit holes. Miss Cushion’s dog, Ruby, has even been trained to help in some of the searches.

To mark their first year, Tilly’s Angels has set up another Facebook page, called Tilly’s Cloud, to help find dogs or other missing animals outside of Southend.

Ms Leader added: “I would like to thank everyone for their amazing support - especially our fund raisers and fantastic search team of women who never give up.”

The group is currently trying to find new mum Dotty, who has gone missing from Stanford-le-Hope. To help the search and find out more, look for Tilly’s Angels or Tilly’s Cloud on Facebook.