Daniel Sturridge was today reunited with his £30,000 Pomeranian dog today after it was kidnapped from his £1.5m Los Angeles mansion.
Earlier today, officers pulled up at the Premier League star’s West Hollywood mansion to take DNA prints from his back door, which was smashed to pieces by thieves.
The former Liverpool striker, 29, was left distraught after his Pomeranian Lucky Lucci was snatched and his home ransacked, and took to Instagram today to launch another appeal for the dog to be returned for a £30,000 reward.
‘If anyone has any information please contact us ASAP,’ he wrote. ‘A sizeable reward will be organized. We just want the dog back. Send a video of him and we can talk. Dog was stolen from West Hollywood at 11:30 last night.’
But it emerged today that the dog has now been returned after a deal brokered on social media. LAPD do not believe the person who returned it was associated with the crime.
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Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge appealed for a ‘proof of life’ video for his £30,000 Pomeranian after it was stolen from his LA home yesterday. It is now back in his possession
Forensic police officers were seen today outside Sturridge’s West Hollywood mansion to take prints of his broken door
A LAPD officer takes a case from out of her truck as she heads for Sturridge’s West Hollywood mansion
‘He’s still out there somewhere… everyone please help bring my dog home,’ the football wrote this morning before the dog was recovered
Sturridge urged anyone with information to contact him as he posted a video of the dog on Instagram today. It has since been found
Sturridge holding the dog, which was taken in the raid on his Los Angeles home, but is now back in his care
His Los Angeles home has been raided overnight, with thieves taking the dog via the back door
Sturridge previously uploaded an emotional video of himself showing his followers the smashed glass door and pleading for the safe return of his beloved pet — believed to be the only one of its kind in the world.
In an earlier appeal to those watching on social media, Sturridge said: ‘Listen, someone has broken into the house in LA, took my dog from the house. Listen, whoever knows who broke into my crib, I’ll pay you anything, I’m dead serious.
‘I wanna know who took my s***. I wanna know what’s went on. I wanna know why they took my dog. I wanna know why they took bags from upstairs.
I wanna know what the f**** going on. How can you break into someone’s house in LA and take a dog? Are you crazy? You break into a house and take a dog?
‘Yo, somebody please find my dog, I’ll pay anything, I’m dead serious.’
Offering payment in another video, he said: ‘Whoever brings my dog back, 20 grand, straight up. Straight up. 20 Gs. 30 Gs, whatever. Bring my dog back. Bring my dog back to this house, I am moving out of this b**** anyway.
Pictures show the back door of Daniel Sturridge’s home smashed to pieces
The raid saw the striker’s beloved pet dog taken, prompting an emotional appeal video
Aerial images show the size of the former Liverpool player’s mansion in West Hollywood
Daniel Sturridge has uploaded a video to social media appealing for help finding his dog
A photograph of the dog, known as Lucky Lucci, uploaded to Instagram on Monday afternoon
Sturridge also uploaded a video to his social media showing three hooded men near his house
The house Sturridge has been staying in, which the dog was stolen from on Monday night
‘Bring the dog back to this address. I’ll be moving out tomorrow or the next day. I want my dog back and I’ll pay whatever, it don’t matter, it don’t matter the cost. 20 or 30 grand, bring my dog back.
‘You aren’t going to get more than that anyway, and if you are, let me know and I’ll pay more than them. I want my dog back.’
In a further video, Sturridge added: ‘Bro, they’ve took my dog, they’ve took two or three bags from my house. They’ve jumped over the fence.
‘We’re in Los Angeles, West Hollywood. Look, my shirt’s on the floor. They’ve jumped over the fence. Whoever is so ballsy to come and take my dog, look we can get you money, it’s not about the money.
He showed his shirt lying on the floor just outside his house, with thieves having stolen bags
Sturridge put out a further appeal and said he would pay more than anyone else for his dog
‘If you’re trying to make money, come back and we’ll pay you for the dog fam, it’s nothing. Don’t go selling my dog to someone else, we’ll pay more. It’s as simple as that.
‘Come back to the crib, bring the dog back, organise it however you want to organise it.
‘I want the dog back, we’ll pay anything for the dog.’
And on his social media story, he continued: ‘It’s a Monday, fam. Who was at the house at 11.30? We’ve been away for two hours. It doesn’t make any sense.
‘Someone find my dog please. Like I said before, I’ll pay anything. It’s not about the money. I just want my dog, simple as that.’
In an emotional caption, he also wrote: ‘Somebody stole my dog. I’ll pay anything. I want him back.’
Sturridge added: ‘I’ll pay anything. It’s not about the money. I just want my dog’
The dog is a Pomeranian with husky markings — supposedly the only one in the world
A photograph of the dog uploaded to its Instagram account — it has over 2,800 followers
Sturridge has owned the dog for at least a year and a half and keeps an Instagram account exclusively dedicated to pictures of the animal — which has over 2,800 followers.
The footballer ended his time with Liverpool — where he earned around £120,000 a week — after winning the Champions League at the end of last season. He is currently on the lookout for a new club.
The striker, who has 26 caps for the England national team, has spent a chunk of his summer in Los Angeles as he prepares for the new season.
Sturridge last played for Liverpool in Premier League and is currently looking for a new club
Sturridge (bottom centre) was part of the squad that won the Champions League last season
Sturridge pictured playing for the England national team in 2016 — he has 26 senior caps