THE owner of Murphy, the Bradford dog which was missing for nearly three months after being stolen, has criticised police for not keeping him informed about their investigation.

Murphy, a husky, became a social media celebrity, with the likes of comedian Johnny Vegas and Bradford illusionist Dynamo backing a campaign to find him.

The pet went missing on December 4 last year and was thought to have been stolen from Scholemoor Cemetery by two men.

He turned up at a house in Manchester on February 26 and was returned to his owner, Andy Smith.

It later emerged that Murphy had been signed over to an RSPCA inspector, who visited the Manchester property, where the owner said they could no longer look after their two dogs.

It was unclear how Murphy had ended up at the house. West Yorkshire Police confirmed they were working with the RSPCA to find out what had happened to him.

But Mr Smith, of Cemetery Road, Lidget Green, said he was still waiting to hear from police.

"They said they would let me know on Monday what was happening, but they have not contacted me," he said. "The officer was going to find out and get back to me. But I have not heard from the police for more than four weeks, and that was by text message.

"I want to know what happened to my dog, and 45,000 other people, who joined the campaign to find him, want to know what happened. I would like to see somebody prosecuted.

"Murphy's disappearance caused myself and the family three months of pain and heartache, and we would like some answers.

"I lost two stone in weight through worry during that time, and I lost my job as a production worker because my mind wasn't on it.

"Nobody from the police has phoned me or explained anything. I am just twiddling my thumbs. All I want is an update, I don't think it's too much to ask."

Four-year-old Murphy was missing for 12 weeks. His disappearance triggered a high profile search campaign on social media. The Get Murphy Home Facebook page was liked nearly 40,000 times, with users sharing possible sightings.

Mr Smith said Murphy was back to his normal self.

But he said he did not feel dog thefts were being treated seriously enough. "The issue is not being addressed properly. Police say dog thefts are down, but I think people just aren't reporting them."

Inspector Kevin Pickles said: "There is an ongoing investigation in to this incident and inquiries continue with the RSPCA in Manchester. Updates are provided to victims of crime when available. At this stage, a number of lines of inquiry are being followed up but there is no significant update.

"However I will make the officer dealing with this investigation aware of the victim's request for further contact and ask that this is followed up."