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HALIFAX - Earl Shadbolt was reunited yesterday with his beloved pooch, Willie, ending a dispute with a neighbour in a custody battle that raised the ire of animal lovers.

The 75-year-old Shadbolt left his small dog with a friend from church after his home in the Halifax-area suburb of Eastern Passage was damaged by a fire in April.

But when the retiree attempted to retrieve the dog from Laura Naugler about five months later, the two disagreed on appropriate payment.

However, Shadbolt and Naugler came to an agreement that saw Willie returned home.

As Willie squirmed and whimpered in his owner's arms, Shadbolt said he was simply glad the saga was over.

"Too much stress, too much stress," Shadbolt said of the effort to regain custody of the mixed-breed terrier with black ears and bright brown eyes.

The story generated much attention last month, when an ad appeared in a local newspaper saying Willie would be auctioned off by Naugler under provisions of the province's Warehouseman's Lien Act -- a law more often used by garage owners who sell cars when repair bills go unpaid.

That made the case a cause celebre among pet owners, who signed up by the hundreds onto a Facebook group called, "Give Earl Shadbolt his dog back!"