Brighton retiree's heartbreak as beloved Chicken disappears

Dr Sandy Kennedy discovered that her pet chicken, called Dolores had vanished on Wednesday afternoon, and has offered a reward of a “Really good chicken” to anyone who can guarantee her return.

Speaking to The Argus, Sandy said Dolores "captured the hearts of many people, who feel sad that she should have been taken away. Her family, doggie friends,rabbits and many admirers would love to see her returned".

Animals have long been a part of Sandy’s life, and Dolores lived alongside rabbits Oreo and Misty in a large coop in her front garden.

Rehomed from the Raystede rescue charity near Lewes, Dolores was also a highly domesticated chicken, frequently found roaming the front room at Sandy’s house in Clifton Road, Brighton.

Sandy said: “In the summer, she was walking in and out all the time.”

The chicken spent time both indoors and outdoors (Image: Sandy Kennedy)

Sandy noted how passers-by were captivated by the animals. The 78-year-old said: “You’ve got a townhouse in a regular street, and there you have bunnies and chickens.

“People go by and they peer over the wall and it’s uplifting. You have elderly people remembering their childhood, little children being told ‘if you’re good you can see the bunnies and chickens’

“It’s a little lightness in a time where it’s not always light.”

She says she has had great support from neighbours after hearing about the news.

Sandy said: “A lot of people unexpectedly have come up and said we are really so sorry.” One message shown to The Argus reads: “And it is not knowing where she is which is the hardest. My heart is breaking.”

Sandy said Dolores was safely secure in the coop, and therefore believes she must have been taken and not killed by foxes.

Sandy said: “Everyone is thinking, please let us know – even anonymously – what you’ve done with this chicken.

“If she’s just waiting to be slaughtered, we will give whoever it is a really good chicken if you bring him back.”

“Please, for the people that care. Bringing her back would be a good Christmas present, it’s hard to feel this Christmas spirit at the moment.”

Sandy poses with Dolores' now-empty home (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

She wondered whether the current financial climate was to blame.

“I like to think it’s because someone needed to have a Christmas dinner," Sandy said.

"If they got the chicken, then Dolores is an old chicken, and she will be a bit tough.

"We will be happy to give them a nice, luxurious Waitrose or Marks and Spencer chicken.”

“I mean, it seems very trite in the world as it is today, that you should have this enormous emotion about a chicken. But sometimes it’s the small things that remind you that fairness and compassion is in short supply.”

Sandy said she has not yet reported this to the police. "I feel the police are so busy that this could be seen as a non issue. However my friends remind me that incidents like this should always be logged and can serve as a warning to other poultry owners to take care."

If you have any details that might lead to Dolores' safe return, please email andrew.gardner@newsquest.co.uk