A MISSING dog has been reunited with his Enfield owner after four years, thanks to an animal rescue home.

Mark Lapinid had given up hope of ever seeing Clifford the Staffordshire Bull Terrier again after the pooch went missing in 2007. But he and his entire family were given the good news that Clifford had been found and taken to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home earlier this month.

Mr Lapinid, who had spent months searching for his canine companion after he ran out of an open door at the family home, said: “When I heard from Battersea I came straight down to the centre, I couldn’t believe it. My whole family were so excited. We all thought Clifford was gone forever.

“Seeing Clifford again is amazing. I don’t know what he’s been up to for four years, but I hope he’s been well looked after, perhaps living with another family.”

Clifford, who was tracked using a microchip Mr Lapinid had tagged him with, was one-and-a-half years old when he went missing, so had grown considerably over the years, but his owner recognised him straight away.

Mr Lapinid said: “Clifford was the runt of the litter, but he had a little white marking on his chest in the shape of a ‘T’, and my family are Tottenham fans, so he was made for us.

“He’s still got the mark now. I’d recognise him anywhere.”

Battersea’s lost and found assistant, Kayleigh Parr, added: “It was fantastic to be able to reunite Mark and Clifford after four years. It really highlights the importance of microchipping, because it meant we could quickly locate Mark’s details on the central microchip database.

“It’s also really important to keep your contact details up to date with your chip provider, as you never know when your pet could go missing.”