Tinker was brought into Battersea’s Berkshire centre following the discovery in Finchampstead

Two-year-old Tinker was brought into Battersea’s Berkshire centre following the discovery in Finchampstead on Boxing Day.

Luckily, she had a microchip, which was registered to a breeder, but they were no longer her owner and so reuniting the dog and her family was not going to be easy.

The breeder had a mutual friend and managed to get in contact with the owners - based in Cheshire - who had been without the lurcher since October after it was swiped from their garden.

Tinker’s owner, Laura Pryor, said: “When Tinker was taken from our garden we are all absolutely devastated. E

"Even though she’s a dog, Tinker is absolutely part of our family and having to spend Christmas without her at home was awful.

"When I got the call to say she had been found I was overjoyed to know that she was safe.”

Upon hearing the news, Tinker’s owner made the 345 mile-round trip to collect and bring her home.

Even though the process was not straightforward, it was all thanks to Tinker’s microchip that she was able to be traced back to her owners.

It became compulsory for all owners to have their dog microchipped in 2016.

Each month, Battersea logs around 300 reports of lost dogs and cats and reunites more than 1,000 animals with their owners each year.

Kaye Mughal, centre manager at Battersea Old Windsor, added: “While we will never know exactly what happened to Tinker and how she ended up so far away from home, the main thing is that she’s now back with her family, where she belongs.

"All of us at Battersea are happy to have been able to keep Tinker safe, warm and happy before Laura came for her.”

“We would definitely remind dog owners to ensure that their dog is microchipped and that their chip details are up to date so that if they ever do go missing, you can be reunited with them as soon as possible.”