Police told a frantic woman searching for her missing pet dog he had not been found despite the schnauzer being handed in hours earlier.

Liz Milroy, of The Ridgway, in Carshalton, noticed her five-month-old white miniature schnauzer Rupert had gone missing on Friday at lunchtime after she went to grab his collar from her car.

Mrs Milroy informed Sutton Police and contacted the animal warden several times to report Rupert’s disappearance.

But even though plasterer David McDonnell, 36, also from Carshalton, had found the pup a couple of roads away from the family’s house, taken it to the police station and later contacted the animal warden, Mrs Milroy was never told Rupert had been found.

Mrs Milroy said: “I just don’t understand why no one considered checking the found and lost dogs when the report came in.

"I would be extremely surprised if another white miniature schnauzer with a broken left hind leg encased in plaster was found on the same day.

“The dog warden and the police failed to tell us that Dave had reported the dog missing, leaving us with a frantic search of the area, door-to-door enquiries, three visits to the police, five phone calls to the dog warden, calls to vets, the RSPCA and the Battersea Dogs and Cats home.”

“The whole family was just devastated.

"We had no idea where he could’ve gone to.

"I went to look for him down the road and at the park where we always take him, but I couldn’t find him anywhere.

Mr McDonnell said: “Police scanned him to try to find a chip, but couldn’t find anything so they told me to take him back to my house and call the animal warden.”

He called the animal warden to report he had found Rupert, who had a broken leg and was sporting a cast, but was told they would not be able to pick him up until Monday.

It was only thanks to Mr McDonnell’s persistence that Rupert was reunited with the Milroy family.

“When they told me they wouldn’t be able to collect him until Monday I decided to go back to where I found him and saw a poster with the family’s details, so I took him back home.”

Mrs Milroy said: “When Dave, who was very kind, brought him back we couldn’t believe it. We were very happy and relieved.”

Councillor Colin Hall, deputy leader of Sutton Council, said: “We’d like to apologise for the distress that Miss Milroy and her family suffered.

"While we are pleased that she was reunited with her dog within a day, it’s clear that the communication in this instance needed to be better.

“We will be investigating the circumstances around this incident and speaking to the police to prevent it being repeated.

“Since we and other London councils began using a contractor to provide a stray dog collection service last year, we have been picking up significantly more animals and reuniting them with their owners far quicker than before.

“If you have lost a dog or found a stray dog, please call the council on 020 8770 5070 so that we can reunite pets and their owners as quickly as possible.”

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