A Stratton couple are desperately searching for their missing five-month-old puppy who ran off after being startled by fireworks.

Heather Channing-Smythe and her partner have searched high and low for little Molly with the help of kind neighbours, friends and strangers since the latest addition to their Kingsdown home on Archer Close disappeared on November 4.

Despite combing through bushes, wading through a nearby stream, using sniffer dogs and heat-sensitive cameras, and hearing of possible sightings, this community effort is no closer to having the lost pup returned home.

Heather said: “She is missed terribly, it’s horrible, and at this point we don’t know where else to look.

“We were sat at home with the TV volume up to drown out the fireworks because our other dogs are scared of them, then dozed off and realised she wasn’t there when we woke up.

“I think we must have let her out into the back garden for a wee, then she may have been startled by the fireworks and bolted through a gap in the fence.

“That night, my husband stayed downstairs and kept all the doors open just in case she came back.

“We have four dogs and two cats, they're like our children. It feels like I’ve let Molly down, I’m very worried about her.”

Molly is a female cross-breed, mainly white with caramel-brown markings, measuring 11 inches up to her shoulder.

Her father is a Shih-Tzu and her mother is a cross between a Collie, Beagle and Jack Russell terrier.

She is micro-chipped with the details of the breeder who sold her to the Smythes, and barks at people and dogs due to nervousness.

Swindon Advertiser:

One silver lining that has come from this emotional emergency is the outpouring of support from other Swindonians.

Heather added: “The amount of people who offered to help is overwhelming. I’m so touched, God bless them.

“Someone from the Forest of Dean brought sniffer dogs and used Molly’s harness to get her scent but only picked it up near Boundary Close.

“A young lady went through the stream and cut through brambles, one person used thermal-imaging to double-check the stream.

“I think someone may have picked her up – but why wouldn’t they take her to a vet? I don’t understand.”

If you see Molly, call Heather on 07485 291631, or if you have found a lost dog that looks like her, take her to the vets.