A PET owner received an early Christmas present when she was reunited with her dog which went missing last month.

Benson went missing from Wendy Nobbs’ home in Doddington because of bad weather and, after posters were hung in shops, was traced to Tejaycey kennels in Wisbech.

However, Benson was rehomed in Surrey as Mrs Nobbs couldn’t be traced because he didn’t have a microchip. Mrs Nobbs eventually tracked him down and Benson returned home last week.

Mrs Nobbs said: “It’s wonderful, it’s the best Christmas present ever. He just stared at me on the car journey home. He is lovely and nearly went silly went he got back home.

“We were upset that Benson was with a new family, but relieved that he was not out in all the terrible freezing weather, and we are angry with ourselves because we didn’t get him microchipped.”

A spokesman for Fenland District Council urged all dog owners to get their pets microchipped. He said: “We do all we can to help people trace their lost dogs but that is obviously made much more difficult if they haven’t had them microchipped.

“They must also make sure their dog always wears a collar and tag giving their name and address - that is required by law.

“If their dog does go missing, they should phone us on 01354 654321 and local vets. They should also ring Tejaycey, our kennels, on 01945 583177.”