Couple still hoping to get their missing dog Flossie home

And they are keeping their fingers crossed that their half-page advert about Flossie in the national Metro newspaper will be seen by the right person out of the paper’s 1.8 million readers.

The Border Terrier cross went into a bush on the dunes at Ranch Links and has not been seen since about 2.30pm on Thursday, September 2 last year.

The Flossie is Missing from Blyth Facebook page is providing updates and it now has almost 6,000 members.

Thousands of posters have been put up across towns, villages and popular dog walking routes in the region, and hundreds of homes have been visited with Flossie's photo.

Sadly, a number of them have been deliberately removed and defaced with contact details or Flossie's photo being ripped off.

Her owners, Nick Keeley and Gill Scott, were also horrified to find piles of ashes where some posters had been burned in Hollywell Dene – a local beauty spot.

However, they have thanked individuals, local community groups and businesses for their support to help keep them going.

In a message to them, the couple said: “The four months since we saw Flossie have been the darkest and saddest of our lives. But sparks of light and hope from you have boosted us with your kindness.

“Thank you for the fantastic support, for embracing the search for Flossie, for giving your valuable time. Your true spirit of selfless giving has kept us going over many difficult days and nights.”

The advert in the Metro on Wednesday includes details about the dog. She has white front paws and chest, and a short tail.

Even the £5,000 reward with no questions asked has not brought forward any concrete information or sightings so far.

Nick added: “We are braced for more malicious calls when thousands of people see our advert.

“It’s breaking our hearts, but we need to know what has happened to Flossie – we pray the right person will see our advert and bring her safely home.”