Missing dog reunited with owners after three years

London, June 13 : A dog, which went missing three years ago, was reunited with its owner, thanks to a microchip on its neck.

Brambles, a saluki-greyhound cross, was stolen from its garden in Dorchester, Dorset, in September 2005.

Its owner, Sarah Thornewill, had given up hope of ever seeing the two-year-old bitch again, until last month, when RSPCA received a call that some boys were mistreating a dog 75 miles away, near Cribbs Causeway, Bristol.

When an RSPCA inspector scanned the abused dog's fur for a microchip the database revealed it was the missing dog, which had been reported stolen three years earlier.

The canine was back with its owner Miss Thornewill, 39, and her boyfriend Richard Shrive, 31, who now live in Blandford, Dorset.

"It is brilliant to have Brambles back; we cannot believe it," the Telegraph quoted Thornewill, as saying.

"When we saw him again Richard had a tear in his eye. Brambles looked at Richard and you could tell she knew it was him. It was an emotional moment all round. It is a miracle really.

"We feared the worst as the months went on. You never give up hope but after three years the chance of finding her seemed slim. This goes to show how worthwhile microchipping is.

"She was a little thin and had a few nicks and scraps but other than that she was in good health.

"She has settled back in and it is like she has never been away," she added.

A spokeswoman of RSPCA urged that all pet owners to have their pets microchipped.

ANI