Comedian Bill Bailey was overjoyed this week after being reunited with his beloved Balinese Dingo which had escaped from his Hammersmith home.

The stand-up's pooch, called Teddi, managed to walk four miles and was found St Luke's Park in Chelsea by a member of the public who took him to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

Fortunately for Mr Bailey Teddi, who was rescued from Bali, had been implanted with a microchip - a tiny ID chip that sits under the skin and gives details of an animal’s owner.

Thanks to this microchip the charity were able to contact the comedian and his wife with the good news that they had his missing pet.

Mr Bailey said: “I can’t express enough how grateful we are to Battersea for reuniting us with Teddi. When Teddi went missing we put posters up everywhere, contacted Battersea’s Lost Dogs & Cats Line and I even tweeted about it.

"But thanks to the microchip Battersea were able to get in touch and tell us they had Teddi - every dog owner out there should get it done.

"We’re so happy to see Teddi again and can’t wait to get him home. Our other rescue dogs, who are also from Bali, were lost without him - we all were."

In 2010 Battersea took in almost 7,000 dogs of which only 32 per cent were microchipped.

Liz McWalter, head of intake at Battersea said: “This story really highlights the importance of having adequate identification on your dog, not only for the owners but also for rescue centres like Battersea so they can ensure dogs are quickly reunited with their families should they get lost."

If you need help or advice call the Lost Dogs & Cats Line on 0901 477 8477 or visit battersea.org.uk