Owner believes two pedigree dogs taken

Toby Scott has lost two of his best mates and he wants them back.

The month since dogs Ace and Rex disappeared is a long time for a 5-year-old and while he maintains childlike optimism, his parents Andrew and Sana Scott admit hope is dwindling despite offering a $3000 reward for finding them.

Mr Scott said the family got up about 7am on the morning of April 28 to find the dogs gone.

Ace, a 2-and-a-half-year-old purebred German shepherd, was let off his chain at the family’s Stafford St home in Ranfurly sometime overnight but more alarming was Rex, a Jack Russell terrier, also pure-bred and the same age as Ace, who usually slept in the house and was let out.

Mrs Scott said neither dog had barked, which they usually did at strangers, although Ace was still "very pup-like" and his bark was more of a whimper.

The search that followed canvassed neighbours in the quiet Ranfurly street and nearby farmers were contacted, in case the dogs had decided to worry sheep, Mr Smith said.

"I talked to all the close-by farmers around here and none them said they had taken them out."

Mr Scott, who runs the 2800ha Kyeburn Downs station with his father, also considered the dogs might have made the journey of about 15km to the farm but there was no sign of them.

The couple then turned to social media.

"Every time someone shared a post we picked up hope, but it’s dwindling," Mr Scott said.

Posts he and his wife had made had been shared more than 1000 times, resulting in nothing.

They had added a reward in the past two weeks as extra incentive for someone to provide information leading to locating them, he said.

No news is bad news for Toby.

"I just want them back," he said.

Mr and Mrs Scott’s 14-month-old second son Beau had been robbed of the opportunity to know the dogs, Mr Scott said.

"He’s just too young."

Given their location at the edge of the Maniototo town, Mr Scott believes the dogs were taken.

"I think it was planned."

He suspects they may have been taken for breeding purposes. Neither dog was desexed and despite not having their pedigree papers with them, any offspring could still fetch a reasonable price.

Both dogs had distinguishing characteristics: Rex has white saddle-like hair on his back, dotted with 10 brown spots, Ace had two distinctive black spots on his tongue and a pedigree tattoo inside his right ear that begins with ASH.

The couple have set up an email address Lostscotts@gmail.com in the hope someone might come forward.

jared.morgan@odt.co.nz