Family dog, stolen five years ago, returns home on bus!

Every dog has its day. And, it proved true for this 12-year-old bull terrier which reportedly returned home on a bus, nearly five years after he was stolen from a family in the UK.

Pat Oates, 48, took a call saying that her red Staffordshire bull terrier, T-Bone, was found safe and well riding the Birmingham City Centre to Solihull route bus.

In fact, she and her three children had all but given up any hope of ever seeing, after he was taken from their drive in September 2006 during a power cut.

They feared he had been stolen to order by gangs looking to use the good-natured dog as a weapon.

But, after the dog was dumped after he developed a cyst, he got onto the No 37 bus undetected, 'The Daily Telegraph' reported. It was only when the bus driver spotted him in his rear view mirror that he was taken to a bus depot, before being checked over by a local vet.

After his micro-chip was scanned, staff were able to reunite T-Bone with his owners. Oates, a mother-of-three, from Solihull, West Midlands, said she wasn't surprised that T-Bone was found on a bus as he loves to travel.

"He always loved going on car journeys and would come along with us on long journeys all the time. He could sit gazing out of the window all day long," she said.

The family now have to pay expensive veterinary bills after T-Bone was badly neglected by the thieves who stole him.

He has developed a large, painful cyst on his leg as well as severe hearing problems.

Leigh Fisher, from 608 Vets where T-Bone was first taken, said" "This case highlights the importance of getting your dog micro-chipped."