AN OWNER is desperately searching for his dog after it went missing when on a walk near Darlington.

Turpin, a five-year-old cross breed but mostly Belgian Shepherd, disappeared near his home in Barningham, between Darlington and Richmond.

His owner, Spencer Elmer, said: “He was last seen when walking with his helper, he ran off after a bird on the moor.

"We’ve put out feed stations and cameras but not heard anything since he went missing on December 29.”

The Northern Echo:

Mr Elmer has placed posters in the area, but the Moor where he disappeared is a huge area and difficult to search, there are also game keepers in the area who may have thought Turpin was attacking live stock.

Turpin has only been in the UK since September. He was a rescue dog in Hong Kong and Mr Elmer said he wanted to give him a better life in the UK.

In his desperate search to find Turpin, Mr Elmer has enlisted the help of Pet Detectives to try and find his beloved dog.

This morning, the Pet Detective team are currently heading toward Newsham, Richmond, to investigate Turpin's disappearance.

They will patrol the area to raise awareness of Turpin and put up posters, hand out flyers to houses and businesses, and will also conduct a thorough search of the area using thermal imaging cameras.

Lead Investigator Tom Watkins said, “Most missing pets are found within a mile of home – the challenge is making sure that as many people as possible know the pet is missing and encourage everyone to be vigilant and to keep an eye out.

The Northern Echo:

“Work and family commitments often mean owners don’t have time to devote scouring the area looking for their missing pet, and this is why Animal Search UK is a huge help.

"Visiting neighbours can also be daunting so the team have the expertise to search gardens, garages and outbuildings in order to conduct a thorough search.

"Our professional, uniformed specialist search teams can usually be at any location in the UK within 48 hours.”

  • Anyone with news, information or have seen TURPIN should ring the Animal Search UK free confidential hotline on 0800 4 320 340 and quote case ref: ALP379383