'Miracle' as poodle is reunited with owner after going missing for 2 years

• Watch the moment Hayley Smithson is reunited with Mabel

A woman from Sussex has described the 'miracle' moment she was reunited with her dog, almost two years after it went missing.

Mum-of-three Hayley Smithson said she had "almost given up hope" when she heard news that her black toy poodle, Mabel, had been found more than 40 miles away by security staff near Heathrow Airport.

Mabel went missing on August 13, 2020. The family suspect she was stolen after she escaped from their home in Langley Green that evening, but say it's hard to know exactly what happened.

An extensive search was carried out across Crawley.

"We put up posters everywhere and set up a Facebook page to post about her going missing," the 39-year-old said.

"There was so much speculation after we posted that she was missing, but it’s hard to know exactly how she was stolen.

"I was heartbroken and depressed after she went missing. I would always worry about her and think the worst in how she was being treated. I know it sounds silly, but she isn’t just a dog. She’s part of the family. She’s small so would always jump up on my lap and follow me around the house.

"You never give up hope, but it had got to a point where it was dwindling slightly."

While the initial search for Mabel after she went missing was unsuccessful, Hayley says she was "blown away" by the support she got from fellow Langley Green residents along with other parts of Crawley.

A Facebook group set up to help find the family pet had 1,600 members, with dozens of people posting to say they were on the lookout for her.

"So many people moan about Crawley, but I had people that I’ve never met in my life sharing posts and looking for her," Hayley added. "It blew me away."

On June 25, more than 22 months since Mabel went missing - Hayley got a call from a travel vet near Heathrow Airport to say they had scanned her microchip after she was found alone in a street nearby.

"It's just a miracle," Hayley said. "I initially thought it was a prank call as we’ve had a few of those from nasty people over the last couple of years, but when they directed us to the website I started to believe it.

"She was being looked after by a family at the time but they never took her to be microchipped. After she escaped from the home, this led to her being found by a member of Heathrow’s security staff.

"I'm still in shock. Whenever I look at her I just think 'oh my goodness'. I was worried that Mabel wouldn't recognise me but it's clear that she did straight away.

"She came back to doing all the ordinary things we did before, almost fallen back into a routine. The kids are ecstatic."

Following the ordeal, Hayley is urging people to ensure their dogs are microchipped, which is required by law.