A DOG which was stolen from a back garden in Derbyshire three years ago has been reunited with its owner after being found near Leominster.

Dasha the greyhound was taken during the summer of 2014 leaving its owner, Jessica Miller, devastated.

The theft was reported to the police and local vets, followed by a frantic viral search on Facebook, but Dasha could not be found.

Yet, three years later and more than 100 miles away, a stray greyhound was seen by a farmer in Staunton-on-Arrow on May 9.

Herefordshire Council was called and enforcement officer Dave Poolton picked Dasha up and scanned its microchip.

Mr Poolton said: "When I saw that the dog was last registered in Derbyshire several years ago, I naturally assumed that the microchip was out of date. Nevertheless, I called Jessica, and the first thing she did was burst into tears. I have to admit, I welled up a little myself."

Ms Miller said: "I genuinely believed I would never see Dasha again. He was only four when he was stolen from our back garden. As soon as we had the call from Dave, I travelled straight down to Herefordshire to get Dasha and bring him back home."

In 2016 it became a legal requirement for all owners to microchip their dog. Yet in the last year, Herefordshire Council received reports of 231 stray dogs, the majority of which were not microchipped.

If you find a stray dog, call Herefordshire Council’s Environmental Health and Trading Standards Service on 01432 261761.