The Patterdale terrier was named Scrappy Doo after the cartoon character of the same name, and was stolen from his owner’s garden in 2004.

His owner, Tom Smith, had given up all hope of ever seeing his dog again after weeks of searching and yet amazingly, he received a telephone call from a council dog warden saying the dog had been found abandoned in Bournemouth, Dorset, which is 15 miles away from Tom’s house in Wareham.

The council dog warden had scanned the dog and the microchip showed Tom’s name, address and telephone number on the system.

Tom, who is in his 60s, said:

“I couldn’t believe it.  I thought I’d never see her again.  When they bought her back as soon as she saw me she went mad. After all that time you wouldn’t think she would remember.”

This heart-warming story shows how important it is to get your dog microchipped.  Microchips for dogs are far cheaper nowadays and harmless to your dog.