A distraught family in Antrim have appealed to the public to help find their beloved pet dog after he disappeared while out with his owner.
Percy, an eight-year-old black and white Collie, vanished on Sunday, March 10 from the Collin Rd area of Ballyclare and has not been seen since.
Susan Bates has opened up about how much they miss their pooch and their search for their darling pet revealing that she has found some comfort in the help given by the public and Lost Paws NI.
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She told Belfast Live: “Percy is very precious to us and we are doing everything in our power to find him. He’s never been a dog to stray before and we just can’t work out what has happened.
“He was out with my dad John on Sunday in the Collin Road area of Ballyclare. Dad was feeding cattle and Percy was right beside him on the lane and when Dad turned round he’d literally vanished.
“Dad assumed he had gone on home but when he got there, there was no sign of Percy. He is a great boy and although he’s not a working farm dog, he is fantastic company all day for Dad. And at night the comes in and is a big lap dog.
“We’re wondering if he maybe got the scent of a female dog in heat but it’s been days now and still no sign of him. He had wandered off twice for about an hour the week before but when we called him, he appeared back home. Now we are wondering if he has got a scent he couldn’t resist.
“We’d ask everyone to please share this post and get word out there that we really need our boy back. He is a distinctive-looking dog and is wearing a red collar.
“He is a young-looking dog, confident with a good nature but I’d say at this stage he’d be frightened because he is so out of his routine. A gentle, friendly approach would be advised.
“We’d ask everyone to check their outhouses and sheds, to check garages and under cars, just anywhere he could be sheltering. We are praying he has got closed in somewhere and people don’t realise we are running about the place looking for him. Lost Paws NI have been fantastic and have had the thermal drone up for us but with no results yet.
“Please remember that Percy looks a perfect black and white Collie in his photos but by this stage and in this weather, his coat could be very dirty and wet. Please keep an eye out for him. We are desperate.”
A spokesperson for Lost Paws NI said: “We have deployed our thermal drone and completed some ground searching but the area is extremely vast and lots of hidden areas.
“Please continue to share his appeals far and wide to help get this boy home. If you spot him or have an idea where he might be, please call us on 02890406054.”
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