An Australian girl has been reunited with her puppy after it was stolen during a burglary in Melbourne.

The family believe whoever took the Labrador puppy, named Sasha, either “had a conscience” or got scared after the crime attracted national media attention.

Victoria Police said a number of items had been stolen during the burglary, including a laptop, iPad and jewellery.

Four-year-old Maia Sardi was delighted when the puppy was returned to the family’s garden in the middle of the night.

“We didn’t want to get our hopes up. And then this morning, my wife got up to make herself a coffee, walked past the sliding door, and noticed that there was a figure moving by the kennel,” one of the dog’s owners, Ryan Hood, told Australia’s Today programme.