More than half of stray dogs taken in by councils in the UK were reunited with their owners, according to a survey.

The Dogs Trust said it was only the second time the figure had gone through the 50 per cent barrier since survey records began in 1997 – the last time was in 2007.

According to the charity’s annual Stray Dog Survey, there were 121,693 instances of straying this year compared with 107,228 last year.

But the proportion of dogs reclaimed or returned to their owners rose from 42 per cent (45,329) last year to 51 per cent (61,908), the Dogs Trust said.

Where the method used to return stray dogs was identified, the proportion of animals reunited with owners through microchipping was 35 per cent - up from 31 per cent last year.

The survey also found a drop in the number of dogs being put down by local authorities due to ill health, aggression or for want of a home from 9,310 last year to 6,404 this year.