A dog’s tale!

Toby, a seven-year-old Lhasa Apso, snuck out of the Hewitt family’s garden and disappeared without a trace last year.

Owner Alan Hewitt, 44, said: “We tried all the usual places, reported him missing and eventually we gave him up as lost.

“The children were absolutely heartbroken.”

But to the family’s astonishment, Toby has been returned to them.

Mr Hewitt said: “We got a phone call from a vet in Leeds. Toby had been found walking the streets that morning and two ladies took him there. Now it’s like he’s never been away.”

To mark National Microchipping Month, Mr Hewitt has teamed up with Pets At Home in Dewsbury to promote its benefits.

Mr Hewitt, who runs Morley Exotic Animal Rescue, said: “If it hadn’t been for the chip, Toby would never have been seen again.

“The £10 for a microchip was the best I’ve ever spent.”