Batley: Police nab Chewy the chihuahua missing for seven years

A dog missing for seven years has been reunited with his owners after police stumbled on him while hunting a suspect.

PCs Kirsty Stanley and Jacob Wood found Chewy on Wednesday while searching a house in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire.

They took the chihuahua to a vet and, after finding a microchip, discovered he went missing from Batley, about two miles (3.2km) away, in 2016.

PC Stanley said: "He's a lovely little thing."

Chewy had since been returned to his grateful owners, the force said.

Officers had been "immediately suspicious" after neighbours told them of the "vague circumstances" in which Chewy had come to be at the property.

PC Stanley added: "Jacob and I were so glad this was a story with a really happy ending.

"It was fantastic to take Chewy back to his owners and see the looks on their faces when they saw him after so long."

Insp David Bates, of the Batley and Spen Neighbourhood Policing Team, praised his officers' "thoroughness".

He added: "This case really does go to show that even if a pet is missing for years there is a chance he or she can find their way home."

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].