A DISTRAUGHT family has been making weekly pilgrimages to Blackpool in search of a dearly loved pet which went missing in the town earlier this month.

Bracken, a lovable chocolate brown labrador-collie cross breed, was in a Mini Metro that was stolen from Bond Street car park, Blackpool, on August 1. The car was later found burned out on Grange Park, but there was no sign of the dog.

The family from New Galloway, Scotland, were staying at the Dorcliffe Hotel, Osbourne Road, in South Shore, when their car and dog were stolen. As grandmother Gail Walker explained: "It was upsetting enough to lose the car, but losing the dog as well is just devastating.

"Jonathan, my 12-year-old grandson, was inconsolable as was my son John, and they didn't want to return home without Bracken. The hotel owners were great and allowed him and my son to stay on free for four days to try and locate the dog.

"However, after hours of searching the streets and asking people, she didn't turn up. The police and dog wardens were not much help but Nikki Brown, at The Rottweiler Rescue Centre in Cleveleys, was a God-send. She took us round all the kennels and also spent hours searching.

"We have been returning to Blackpool each weekend to look for Bracken. She is a very friendly dog and someone may have taken her in or she could be sleeping rough. There have, however, been a couple of positive sightings of her around the South Shore area in the last week or so, and we are still hopeful."

Blackpool and the Fylde office of Petsearch UK, which is a voluntary free service reuniting lost pets with owners, has also been involved from the start and are trying to trace the dog.

Bracken is seven years old and has a very distinctive chocolate coloured bushy tail. She was also wearing a collar.

Lynda Graham, from Petsearch, commented: "It is a heart-rending story and I hope there will be some response from this appeal. She must be somewhere and her poor owners have been travelling to Blackpool, just walking around the streets looking for her."

If anyone thinks they may have spotted Bracken, or has any useful information on her whereabouts, the owners are offering a reward. Enquiries should be made to Lynda at Petsearch on 866301, who will put callers in touch with the owners.