THE heartbroken owners of a beloved bulldog that went missing revealed that the 18-month-old pup has been found dead.

Jessica Moran offered a £1,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of her pet Gus after he was last seen in a Cheney Manor garden on Wednesday -but the search had a tragic end.

The 27-year-old from Rodbourne said: "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the overwhelming support. 

"It is with a broken heart that I need to tell you our beautiful, one of a kind boy and best friend has been found deceased.

"We now have him back with us where he belongs, unfortunately it seems he drowned on the day he went missing in the lake.

"James and I were so lucky to have him for the short time we did. I cannot express how much love joy and light Gus brought to us and our family in his short time on this earth.

"We were so so lucky to have him and we will never get over this."

The appeal to find Gus was shared thousands of times and sparked a police investigation into suspected theft.

More than 2,500 people expressed shock and sympathy for Jessica in response to the statement on her Facebook page.