When Sydney man Kyle McCrae walked into his backyard two and half years ago to discover his beloved puppy Tyson had been stolen, he held little hope he would see his pet again.So the phone call he received yesterday from RSPCA staff in Malaga came as a shocking yet welcome surprise.

Tyson, renamed Jeffery, had been surrendered to the RSPCA and spokesman Richard Barry said a microchip scan discovered that Jeffrey was on a stolen dog list and had been for two and a half years.

Mr McCrae said he could not believe Tyson had been found and arranged to fly him back home to Sydney.

“When he first saw me he was a bit shy and unsure,” he said.“He remembered the lounge as soon as he walked in (the house) – he jumped straight on the couch.”

Despite being double the size he was when he was stolen, not much about Tyson has changed over the years.

However Tyson will have to adjust to one change, Mr McCrae now has a girlfriend who Tyson will have to compete for attention with.