A dog which went missing from London two years ago has been found in Gillingham.

The 12-year-old chihuahua, called Puzik, was seen by a Medway woman driving along Canterbury Street.

When the 35-year-old animal lover noticed the dog running around without its owner, she decided to help.

She said: “I had just finished work and I was driving along when I spotted the tiny, little dog.

“I was looking to see if anyone was there, but they weren’t.

“I got out of the car and chased the dog down the road until I caught it.

“It was freezing cold and the vet said it probably would have died if I hadn’t caught it that night.”

She took Puzik to the vets. He had a microchip but as its code was restricted, she offered to look after the pet overnight.

The next morning she contacted Medway’s stray dogs team, which identified Puzik’s owners.

The team’s Simon Harwood told them the good news.

"Reuniting any dog with its owner is rewarding, but returning Puzik, who had been missing for so long, was a dream come true" - Simon Harwood

He said: “They were delighted to hear their beloved pet had been found two years after going missing.

“Thanks to the woman’s quick-thinking actions to check if the dog was microchipped, we have been able to return Puzik to his owners.

"Reuniting any dog with its owner is rewarding, but returning Puzik, who had been missing for so long, was a dream come true.

“This story shows the importance of microchipping your pet.

“Not only is it a legal requirement, but it enables us to identify the owners of any stray dogs that are found.”

The woman who found him said: “It was a lovely dog and it melted my heart when the owners came to collect him.”

The owners did not wish to named.