Missing York dog found - 200 miles from home

Tia, a Springer Spaniel, was spotted beside a road in Watford - but her owner does not have any idea how she got there.

Darren Yates was walking Tia near Millennium Bridge in Fulford on Bonfire Night when a firework spooked her and she ran away.

He said: “She just bolted with her tail between her legs, over the bridge towards the allotments.

"We spent a few hours that night looking for her and I took the next day off and every night for the next 12 nights to do the same.

“Me and a friend, Hayley Parker, started up the Facebook page which absolutely took off; it was unbelievable.

"It’s quite surprising how many people got involved a lot of people went out looking without me even asking, it shows good community spirit, I’m quite taken aback by it all.”

But two-year-old Tia was nowhere to be seen, until a motorist spotted her about 200 miles away, sitting by the side of a busy road in Watford.

Darren, 27, from South Bank, said: “They only found her because she was microchipped.

"They took her home and to the vet the next morning, scanned her chip and got in touch. I would recommend the chip to anyone. If it wasn’t for that, I don’t think we would have her.

“I have no idea how she managed to get so far away. I think someone picked her up and took her down there, and she’s escaped.

"It’s very unlikely she’s got into a lorry herself but someone has had her because she had a collar on which wasn’t the one I gave her.”

Darren, who is a joiner, said when he collected her from the vet on Monday, he was overwhelmed and Tia was very pleased to see him.

He said: “She was ecstatic, she went bonkers. I’m over the moon.

“She’s absolutely fine now, and I’m going to change our walking habits next bonfire night. She’s never been fazed by any sort of noise, it’s amazing.”

Darren announced on the Facebook page that Tia had been found safe and well, prompting an outpouring of good wishes.

The page had attracted more than 2,000 supporters in a fortnight.