Honey-coloured Izzy Wizz the eight-year-old cockerpoodle went missing more than two years ago, but the Purvis family from Radcliffe near Bury in Greater Manchester have not given up hope of finding her safe and well.
Izzy’s Facebook page has more than 10,000 followers who await daily updates from mum Dawn about their search for the dog.
Dad Ian, meanwhile, has handed out more than 80,000 flyers since Izzy fled the family home after being startled when builders accidentally set off the burglar alarm in February 2015.
Users send in photos of Izzy “sightings” to the Facebook page and it has attracted owners of other missing dogs too who post details of their own searches.
Ian explained: “Every follower is another pair of eyes. It’s humbling getting this kind of support from those you’ve never met. As long as people keep sending them, we’ll keep looking.”
Daughters Lauren and Eve, now 15 and 10, were heartbroken when Izzy ran off and dad has promised he will never stop searching for her, though he fears she may have been dog-napped.
He said: “People who hate dogs see a stray and think they can be used for baiting, fighting or breeding. It’s horrific.”
Organised gangs target family pets and can make easy money by selling them on, sometimes to be used to train fighting dogs.
Campaigners want tougher sentences for thieves because, unless the dog is worth an awful lot of money, those found guilty of dog-napping don’t usually get custodial sentences.
“The thought that Izzy could be with someone who hurts her breaks my heart. Every day we think of her and dream of her,” said Dawn.
Every owner should know these six simple tips to keep their dog safe and well:
- Make sure they wear a collar and ID tags. Include an up-to-date phone number where you can be reached.
- Think about registering your dog with Finding Rover an app that uses facial recognition to reunite lost dogs with their owners.
- Make sure your dog is microchipped, which is now a legal requirement (owners who don’t comply could face a fine of up to £500). The microchip, which can be read when it is scanned by a vet or at an animal shelter, is an implanted form of ID containing the legal owner’s contact details.
- Consider having your pet spayed or neutered as studies have shown that sterilized animals are less likely to roam.
- Keep them safe when you’re out and about too by walking them on a lead near roads and waterways or near unfamiliar people and animals. If you are confident letting them run free, ensure you can see them at all times.
- Vets bills can be very expensive so get them insured just in case they do fall ill or injure themselves. It’s a small investment to make but it could save you an awful lot of money.