FOOTAGE of the moment a dog was reunited with his owners has been released by Essex Police.

Monty the dog went missing from Buckhurst Hill five months ago, leaving his owners devastated.

In recent weeks, charity Dog Lost was tipped off about his whereabouts, and a joint operation retrieved him.

A vet believed the dog who had lost weight and got ticks had been chained up for months.

This week, police recorded the moment Monty came home.

English Bull Terrier Monty went missing on Thursday (March 13) while out for a walk in The Birkbeck, off Whitehall Lane in Buckhurst Hill.

Owner MartinKelly, 70, of Brook Road, Buckhurst Hill had a special bond with the dog who he believed detected his cancer.

The family spent months searching for their pet. But, in recent week charity Dog Lost was contacted by someone who gave them a tip-off about Monty’s location.

Pcs Phil Robinson and Joe Self, of Colchester Local Policing Team, were asked to go to the property near Tiptree to investigate further.

Pc Robinson said: "When we reached the property, we immediately noticed a small dog fitting Monty’s description running around the front of the property. We knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

"We were sure that the dog was Monty and just couldn’t leave him behind. There was a small wall separating us from him – we called his name and he jumped over it to see us!

"We got him in the car and drove straight to a vet in Colchester to get him scanned, as we knew Monty was microchipped. The vet confirmed that the dog was Monty, where the scanner even gave a message that he was currently reported as missing on DogLost’s website.

"We telephoned DogLost as soon as we got confirmation, as we were keen to get Monty home as soon as possible”.

Pc Self added: "DogLost worked incredibly quickly to arrange a time that day to meet us, Mr Kelly and his family to reunite them with Monty. We jumped in the van and drove straight to Buckhurst Hill to meet them”.

The officers then returned the pet to an emotional Mr and Mrs Kelly, who were "overwhelmed" at Monty's return.

Pc Self said: "It was fantastic to see Monty back in his rightful home – you could even see that he was returning to his old habits straight away, as he was searching for his ball as soon as he got through the door.

"We are just happy that we were able to assist in some way of getting him back to his owners – it is clear that he is a very much loved member of the family”.