A Swanley pooch which went on the run for six months has been returned to its owner after being discovered 30 miles from home.

Chippy-Rusty, a small female Jack Russell was reported missing in Swanley last September after escaping through an open window of Gerry Keane’s property in the Oaks.

Mr Keane, 53, reported the three-year-old dog missing but gave up hope after not hearing anything for six months.

However, a member of the public contacted Swale Borough Council’s stray dog service to say that a dog was on his own in Sittingbourne on March 3.

Mr Keane said: "I was shocked she was found where she was but also overwhelemed to get her back. I can’t describe it in words.

"She went missing in September - I was just devastated.

"I had a flashback to 40 odd years ago when I had a dog put down when I was a child.

"You could have blown me over with a feather when I got the call to inform me she had been found.

"She has always been a bit of a mischievous dog and only she knows how she got to Sittingbourne."

Swale Council's Tim Oxley said: "This is another great example of the benefits of getting your pet micro-chipped and how much easier it makes finding the real owner.

"As soon as Mr Keane picked up the dog you could see the bond between the two was very strong."