A DISTINCTIVE Staffordshire Bull Terrier was re- united with his Tavistock family last Thursday — after he went missing for almost ten months. The then four-month-old Ozzy disappeared from a garden in the New Park estate in Horrabridge on May 31 — and was last week located 240 miles away in London. The disappearance of the family pet left Mark, his partner Laura and baby Maddison devastated. Ozzy was a present to Maddison, who will be two years old in June, from Laura's mother Jo. Laura always believed Ozzy was stolen — it is thought he is worth around £1,000, due to his unusual markings and predominantly white coat. The long-awaited phone call was received by Laura on Thursday morning, when she heard that Ozzy had been found and was safe. Ozzy had been handed in to a vet in London by a man who found the dog in a car park. And as Ozzy had been microchipped, the vet was able to trace Laura. Now the family pet is 14 months old and, although nervous, is happy to be home. Laura, who went straight to London on Thursday to collect her much-loved dog, said the phone call came as a complete shock. She said: 'Obviously he is not the same dog as we remember but I think in a few weeks he will be back to normal. He is a little nervous but he is pleased to see a friendly face. 'We have since got a new dog, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross Pit-bull called Sky and they seem to be getting on OK together. 'Maddison is not fazed by dogs — she is excited to see another dog in the house. 'I never recommended getting a pet micro-chipped — until yesterday. Now I completely recommend it. 'It would be nice to find out what happened to Ozzy, to understand how he got to be so far away.' Jo said: 'He is OK — happy and re-united with Laura and pleased to be back. He is a lot bigger than when he left but he is still our Ozzy. This is a happy ending to a bad experience.'