A NEWPORT woman is appealing for information after her dog was stolen 11 days ago.

Tricia Scott, of Beechwood, said her dog Sherbert, who is a toy poodle cross bichon frise, was taken from her garden on October 14, while she and her family were at work and school.

Mrs Scott said: “He is a small dog and he has a cat flap so he can go in and out of the house when we’re at work.

“My husband finishes work at about 1.30pm and got home about 1.40pm and the dog was gone.

“He can’t physically get out of the garden because he’s so small. We’ve been looking for him every day and we just want him back.”

The family have had the poodle cross for two years, and Mrs Scott said the worst bit is that her two boys, Finley and Billy Bartlett, have no idea what’s going on.

She said: “I don’t really know why anyone would want to take him, we walk him regularly in Beechwood Park so he is a well-known dog and he’s absolutely gorgeous. He is neutered though, so they can’t have taken him for breeding.

“We got Sherbert when he was six weeks old, so it’s especially hard as my youngest is three-years-old.”

At the moment, Sherbert is thought to be located in Cwmbran, after local company Doglost got involved in the search for him.

The company, which is based in Maesglas, Newport, helps to search for thousands of missing dogs across the UK through sharing information on their website and social media. The post about Sherbert has been shared more than 15,000 times so far on Facebook.

Founder Jayne Hayes has been helping the family search for their beloved pet, after Mrs Scott's friend who lives in Kent told her to report the incident to Doglost.

Ms Hayes said: “We've been putting up posters and have shared it with hundreds of people online and via email.

"Someone got in touch after a man went into a pet shop in Cwmbran to buy everything needed for a new dog, which is a bit unusual because you usually get a dog bed and a collar and some items when you get a new dog.

"The shop owner went outside to fuss the dog and then saw our poster and gave us a call saying it looked like Sherbert. There is no certainty that it is him, but it is something to look into."

Anyone with information on Sherbert's whereabouts is asked to call Jayne at Doglost on 01633 668364 and Gwent Police on 101 quoting log number 439 14/10/16.