A DOG owner has launched an appeal to help find her missing pet.

Gail Griffiths went on holiday with her husband last Tuesday, leaving her border collie-labrador cross pet with a family friend.

But three-year-old Athena escaped from the Darlington house on Thursday, after opening the unlocked back door.

Since then the dog has been seen once, close to Yarm Road, Darlington, which it was too nervous to cross.

Mrs Griffiths said: "I'm absolutely devastated. I don't have any children, so Athena means the world to me.

"Some people don't understand how a dog can mean that much, but she does to me. She goes everywhere with me.

"She knew what she was doing when she escaped. She even ate her food before she left. I am sure she was looking for me."

Mrs Griffiths, who lives in Darlington, has launched a poster campaign to try to find her pet.

She has also knocked on doors and contacted Darlington Borough Council and animal centres in the region.

Athena is microchipped, and was wearing a flea collar when it went missing.

Mrs Griffiths said: "She is very affectionate, but extremely wary of people she doesn't know."

It is believed Athena has been taken in by someone in the Darlington area, because the dog has not been seen for five days.

Anyone with information about Athena is asked to contact Mrs Griffiths on 07748 227089, or her mother-in-law, Jackie, on (01325) 261918.