FOUR dogs have gone missing from the same area within four weeks and the owner of two of the missing pets fears a dog-napper may be responsible.

The most recent disappearance occurred in Burwardsley this month when Elise Stafford's two eight-month-old Gordon Setters - brothers Mac and Archie - went missing.

On January 6 she had taken them out for a walk in the fields behind her home when suddenly they just bolted.

She said: 'It was really strange - they both broke into a run and wouldn't respond to me when I tried to call them back. After they disappeared into the nearby woods I decided I'd have to go back to the house and hope they would come back.'

Mrs Stafford and daughter Alex, 14, became increasingly concerned when neither dog returned. Later that day she received a phone call from a farmer who had seen one of the dogs but unfortunately did not hold on to him.

She added: 'Since that sighting they have both disappeared.'

Despite searching the area and contacting the RSPCA and the police there has been no sign of either animal. The dogs are both of a good pedigree and come from an award winning lineage so Mrs Stafford is concerned they may have been stolen.

'I'm absolutely desolate,' she said. 'They had become such a part of the family.'

Mrs Stafford and her husband are offering a £500 reward for the return of their beloved pets. Anybody with any information can contact the family on 01829 770894 or 07970439975.

Pet-owners appeal for missing bitches

ANOTHER pedigree dog disappeared before Christmas from Peckforton.

Graham Cooper's German Shorthaired Pointer, four-year-old Beth, was being taken for a mid-morning walk near his home with another of his dogs Beau. Both ran off but Mr Cooper was concerned when Beau returned without Beth a matter of hours later.

A day after the disappearance he received a call from a local gamekeeper who said he had seen the animal but since then has heard nothing despite calling all the local agencies.

He said: 'It's the not knowing that is so difficult. Perhaps if I knew what happened then it would be easier to cope with.'

Beth has a brown coat and is described as having a distinctive gait because of a bout of osteoporosis.

Another dog, a six-year-old Collie, has disappeared from Castlegate Farm in Beeston.

Meg, a working farm dog, went missing on Friday, December 23.

Debbie Evans explains that the friendly dog used to play in the Beeston Castle car park and that the family often used to receive phone calls from members of the public who were concerned about her appearance.

She said: 'They thought she was neglected but she's not. I'm worried someone might have seen her and taken her away because of that.'

'My four-year-old daughter Cabitha is really missing her and we just want her back,' she added.