A heartbroken dog owner is appealing for information after his pet disappeared from his garden.

Betty, a five-month-old french bulldog, has been missing from her home in White Hill Road, near Bredhurst, since Sunday.

The puppy had been playing in the garden with owner Luke Thomas at around 5pm but when he turned his back for a couple of minutes, she had gone.

Mr Thomas does not know whether the dog escaped or if she was snatched over the garden wall. He immediately started searching but Betty was nowhere to be found.

The dad of two said: “She has a collar with my name and telephone number on it so if someone honest had picked her up, they would have called me.

“My kids are heartbroken. It was my daughter’s seventh birthday on Wednesday and all she wanted was her dog back.”

The family has spent hours searching for the puppy, which is worth more than £1,000, and Mr Thomas is now offering a reward for her safe return.

He has been appealing for help on social media and more than 11,000 people have shared his missing dog post on Facebook.

The 40-year-old said: “I’m so happy with the response, I’ve been getting messages all day long.”

Betty’s disappearance has been reported to police who have tweeted to appeal for information.

• People are asked to contact 01622 604100 quoting YY/5500/16.