AN ELDERLY couple have pleaded for their beloved pet’s safe return after it was scared off by a group of youngsters.

Dorothy and Charles David, of Westminster Road, Toothill, were heartbroken when their dog Katy, a rescue animal who suffered from malnourishment with a previous owner, ran away last Saturday.

After returning from shopping at about 10.30am, the couple let Katy out of the car and a group of three youngsters started to chase her.

Friends and neighbours organised a search party soon after, but they were unable to track her down.

Katy is a Yorkshire terrier with a black body and a tan-coloured head and one ear that is a bit floppy.

Dorothy, who is partially sighted, said she was missed around the house and after suffering at the hands of a previous owner she had been becoming more confident.

“She’s a lovely little dog and I really do miss her,” said 79-year-old Dorothy. “She made me feel a lot better and cheered me up because I was a little bit depressed at the time.

“I suffer from macular degeneration, which means I’ve got no front line vision, and she was a great help when I went out to walk her round the block. She was good company.

“She’s only a little two-year-old rescue dog and we have only had her since June.

“When we got her she had no communication and she shied away from children – unfortunately on Saturday there were children out the front.

“When we went to pick her up at Weston-super-Mare we could see she was badly treated.

“She had a sister and the poor little things were so thin you could see their ribs and they had no go in them.”

Dorothy said she and her husband Charles, 80, who suffers from debilitating asbestosis after working as an insulation fitter, wanted the peace of mind of knowing where Katy was.

“I’ve reported it to the dog warden and we’ve put notices up but we don’t have a picture of her.

“If somebody’s got her or anyone knows where she might be we just want to know she is safe.”

If anyone has any information about Katy they are asked to call the StreetSmart Team at the Swindon Direct Contact Centre on 01793 445501.

Any lost or found dogs can also be reported on this number.