A senior has been reunited with his long lost brother and sister after more than 20 years—thanks to the publicity he received because his dog picks up litter.
80-year-old Alfie Kitson and his five-year-old Spanish Podenco were featured in a video just before Christmas with the pup tidying up rubbish and putting it into the bin.
Kitson and Millie have become a familiar sight on the streets of Hereford. It was after the filming of one of these regular rounds that Alfie was spotted by his sister’s husband as Millie was helping clean up the streets.
The family was then able to track down Alfie to the village of Ulingswick, where he lives with his wife Judy.
Delighted, Alfie has reunited with brother Dave, who’s 84, and 71-year-old sister Anne for the first time in more than two decades.
The grandad-of-seven had drifted apart from his siblings after moving to Coin in Málaga two decades ago.
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Retired plumber Alfie said, “My brother moved to London years back and my sister went elsewhere too—we just drifted apart.
“I was living in Spain and we were just living our own lives. We only returned 18 months ago because my wife became ill.
“I had a call recently from my granddaughter to say my sister Anne was trying to find me, I was only eight miles away.
“I came back home one day and lo and behold there was my sister. She then got in touch with my brother Dave.
“We all grew up in Hereford, and now we have all been reunited,” Alfie says. “It has been amazing.
“And to think it’s all down to teaching Millie how to put litter in the bin is just incredible really.
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“We met for a walk with Millie last week and it has been emotional. We are planning to meet up again soon in the new year.”
Millie the dog was just eight months old when she was found abandoned in a rubbish bag tied to a tree branch and was rescued by Alfie and Judy.
Alfie said, “We rescued her because our house felt empty without an animal. Dogs and cats are a big part of anyone’s life that loves animals.
As for her trick, he says, “All I have to say is ‘put that litter in the bin’ and she will pick it up and do it. Passers-by seem to love it and she always gets a little round of applause.
“She isn’t just part of the family, she is the family and we are glad we can show her off to others as she really is an amazing dog.”
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