While they were relieved to have them back, concerns remain about their disappearance after a witness saw a white van drop the dogs off about a kilometre from their Bush Rd home.
Labrador kelpie cross Keith and purebred Staffordshire bull terrier Tank went missing in suspicious circumstances late last week and there were fears they had been dognapped.
Mr Barringer-Tairi said they were found down by the Silver Stream water pumps, near Riverside Rd.
"Some old fellow was walking his dogs there and Tank and Keith just came running up to him.
"He brought them back to us.
"It was quite funny because I was working near there all day [on Wednesday].
"I was calling out their names while I was working and they never came to me."
He said a cyclist visited him at his work yesterday morning and told him he had seen a white van pull up at the Riverside Rd bridge and let the dogs out, and then drive off.
"I feel like someone might have taken them and then they got spooked by all the media attention.
"That’s very freaky. I’ve decided I’m going to get security cameras."
Despite a $3000 reward for their safe return and a widespread search for the dogs, there was no sign of them until yesterday.
The dogs’ disappearance is similar to that of Alan Funnell and Louisa Andrew’s black poodle Dice and fox terrier Weed, who went missing from their Otago Peninsula home in October 2019.
Despite a nationwide search, Dice and Weed have never been found.
Mr Barringer-Tairi said he was considering asking police to continue their investigation into their dogs’ disappearance — particularly the white van seen dropping the dogs off.
But for now, he and Mr Shaw were happy just to have their dogs back.
"We were so stoked when they arrived here.
"They gave us a bunch of kisses. We had a huge amount of slobber all over our faces, but we’re so happy to see them again.
"It’s one of the happiest days of our lives — definitely."
