A dog that had been missing for five years looked unrecognisable to her doting owner when they were finally reunited.

Lotty, now five years old, went missing in April 2014 while her owner, Dawn Proctor from Stoke in Britain, was in the process of moving to another house.

"I asked my friend to have Lotty overnight on the day I was moving house," Dawn said. "But something must’ve spooked her as she ran off after slipping out of her harness.

"We knocked on so many doors in an attempt to find her but nothing worked."

Dawn was heartbroken and refused to give up on finding on her lost pooch.

The 58-year-old set up a Facebook page, registered Lotty on DogLost UK and created hundreds of posters that she distributed across her home town. Sadly no one came forward to say they’ve spotted the canine.

But things changed on Wednesday February, 13 when Dawn – who’s been unable to work since she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome – received a call from a local vet, asking if she owned a dog called Lotty.

Because the animal had been microchipped it was easy for the vet to trace her owner and reunite the pair.

"My heart felt like it was jumping out of my chest when I got the call from the vets to say they have my Lotty," Dawn said.

"I was shaking and quickly called my family to let them know the news as I needed to go and retrieve her.

"She’d been spotted by two women who saw her running down the road and thought she looked thin.

"Lotty didn’t look like the fluffy puppy she once was – her hair was all matted, her teeth were rotten and we think she’d been kept outside all this time with little to no food.

"It’s heartbreaking that she’s been neglected but I’m so relieved her nightmare is over. She needed to have 17 teeth removed so she has only four left now.

"I can see all her bones too but she’s on a lot of painkillers and is constantly eating now.

"We’ve since shaved her hair too as it was like dreadlocks so we had no other choice."

Dawn says she’s going to make up for lost time with Lotty by ensuring she gets loads of cuddles.

"We’ve got five years’ worth of cuddles to make up for," Dawn said. "I’m so happy we’ve been reunited and I’m going to ensure she enjoys the rest of her life with me.

"I hope my story inspires others to always take lost dogs to the vets so more owners can be reunited with their beloved pets.

"We don’t know where Lotty had been all this time but if she continued to deteriorate she might not have lasted much longer."

Source: Magazine Features