Cyrus with Kavita, left, and Taran Soor A family whose dog caused thousands of pounds of damage to their home gave him up -- only to reclaim him two days later because they missed him so much.

Ravi and Jass Soor, from Banbury, reached the end of their tether with four-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier Cyrus, repeatedly chewed through doors and chairs, stripped beds and even pulled up floor tiles.

They took the pet, which they have had since 2002, to Weston-on-the-Green Canine Centre, near Bicester.

But the couple, and their children Sonia, 16, Kavita, 11 and Taran, eight, who live on the Hardwick estate, felt lost without Cyrus, and for the first time in the centre's history they went back and paid to get their pet back.

Mrs Soor, 36, a Jobcentre project officer, said: "It got to the point where we dreaded coming home, because of what he might have done.

"He was doing so much damage and his behaviour was so bad we thought he might even have to be put down.

"But after we'd given him away, we missed him so much.

"The kids were crying, my husband was upset. I couldn't sleep for four or five nights.

"It's lovely to have him back. The hollow feeling you have when you lose something is gone."

William Walker, of the canine centre made the family wait two weeks before giving the pet back.

He said: "This is a first for us. Two days later they were ringing me up saying they missed it.

"They had to pay a lot of money to readopt it. I had to vaccinate it, microchip it and put endless hours of work in to correct him."

He said Cyrus's behavioural problems were so bad because he was born without testicles.

"It means he will have to have an operation, which will cost at least £1,000," he added.

Mrs Soor said: "We don't care how much we have to pay, we will do anything to keep him.

"He seems a lot better now. It's a pleasure to walk him."