A dog missing for five years, has been found less than half a mile away from his family home, after being traced via a microchip. 

Eddie, a yorkshire terrier, disappeared five years ago in Manchester, while his owners were away on holiday. It seemed as if he would never be found, until a woman who took him in this year, brought him to the  Manchester PDSA pet hospital for a check-up.

It was then discovered that Eddie had already been chipped and was registered missing five years earlier.

Speaking to British media, his owner Sandra Wright spoke of the efforts she and her family made to try and retrieve Eddie after he initially went missing.

"Neighbours were searching the streets, we put up posters everywhere, alerted all the local vets and rescue centres, reported it to police and registered him on all the websites."

"We even offered a reward, but he had simply vanished. With each week that passed, we knew the chances of finding him decreased. It was awful."

She continued:

"We still had conversations about Eddie – what he might be doing, if he was being looked after, if he was even still alive. But never in a million years did we think we would get him back after all this time."

Eddie's return was timely, as it neatly coincided with a birthday in the family, when Sandra's daughter Emma turned 16.

"We can’t know for sure just how Eddie ended up where he did, but he was clearly well loved during his time away as he is still as friendly and loving as ever. I’m so grateful to PDSA and everyone who helped to get him back to us – it just shows the difference a microchip can make."