A North Shields pensioner has been left ‘a bit embarrassed but pleased’ after he went viral online posing with a poster in the hunt for a dog that went missing almost a year ago.

Jim Scott, 91, has gone viral on social media and been pictured in the national newspapers after he shared a poster of his daughter’s missing dog Flossie.

Flossie, a three-year-old terrier, went missing on a walk on September 2 last year (2021) when she ran into the dunes between Blyth and Seaton Sluice in Northumberland.

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Owner Gill Scott and partner Nick have campaigned tirelessly to get their pet to return home, running a campaign on social media and even offering a £15,000 reward for the return of their four-legged friend.

The Northern Echo: Gill and Flossie. Picture: GILL SCOTTGill and Flossie. Picture: GILL SCOTT

Now their campaign has gained nationwide coverage after Gill’s dad Jim posed with a poster of the family pet and Gill told how he is always asking if there is any news on Flossie’s return and keeping an eye open for her when he’s out, causing the picture to go viral online with 1.5 million views on Facebook.

The heartbroken pensioner has also now appeared in the national newspapers including The Sun, The Mirror and Daily Mail, after the picture was shared on social media.

Brenda Blethyn, star of ITV detective drama Vera, also got involved by retweeting The Northern Echo's tweet, as did Countdown genius Rachel Riley.

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Gill told The Northern Echo: “The story going everywhere is great but it is a bit stressful, but hopefully it’ll mean the right person sees it because that’s all it takes.

“I definitely feel more optimistic about finding her but I try to be realistic as we’ve had so many ups and downs over the last year when someone think’s they’ve seen and it turns out to be nothing.

The Northern Echo: Flossie went missing between Blyth and Seaton Sluice beaches. Picture: GILL SCOTTFlossie went missing between Blyth and Seaton Sluice beaches. Picture: GILL SCOTT

“My dad is a little bit embarrassed about it all. He can’t believe that it was had such a big reach. He’s 91 so he doesn’t really understand social media that well but he’s very please.

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“We wanted to get the message across that a dog is part of the family and it’s not just the owners who are missing her.”

Anyone who has any information about Flossie can find the ‘Flossie is Missing from Blyth’ Facebook group for details of how to get in touch with Gill.

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