A DOG has been reunited with its owners four months after being reported stolen.
In October, East Hampshire dog warden Richard Smith was called to collect a stray dog from Buriton, near Petersfield.
The friendly, brindle-and-white, male Staffordshire bull terrier had no identification tag but Richard tried scanning the dog and found it had a microchip fitted.
Information held on the national database identified the dog as Marley, reported stolen from Chichester in June.
The microchip, the size of a grain of rice, also holds contact details for the owners, so Richard was able to make contact with the family and reunite them with their much-loved pet.
“This happy ending, reuniting Marley with his family after four months shows the importance of having your pet microchipped,” said Richard.
“The information stored helps us to identify the animal and contact the owners.
“It is a legal requirement for a dog to wear a visible identification tag in public but, if your pet is stolen, the thieves can easily remove this.
“We advise all owners to have their cat or dog microchipped and remind them to change the details on the microchip database if they move house or rehome the animal.”
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