A DOG owner is appealing for help to catch his pet pooch which has been missing since last summer.

In recent months the Crow has been contacted by several residents of Royston about the dog, a black Labrador, which has been living wild in the Queens Road area of the town.

Now Richard Parrish has come forward claiming the dog is his pet, Twiggy, which went missing from his home in Clophill, Bedfordshire in July.

Mr Parrish, 72, who believes the dog was stolen, has been to Royston 44 times since Christmas to try and catch it but has yet to pin it down.

He said: “I’d given up hope of getting her back, but my wife visited a friend in Ashwell and she happened to know that a stray black Labrador was living in Royston.

“We went over just after Christmas and saw her for ourselves. It’s definitely her, but the problem is I can’t get near her. If I’m sitting in my car and starting calling her and talking to her she comes to me, but if I make any attempt to try and get hold of her she runs off.”

Mr Parrish believes the dog has been traumatised by her experience since she disappeared.

“She’s such a friendly creature and that’s how I think she was taken in the first place,” he said. “I think she’s getting fed in a lot of different places which makes her harder to catch.

“I’ve been going back and forth to Royston a lot since Christmas, but haven’t managed to round her up yet.”

Mr Parrish is asking anyone who catches the dog to phone North Herts District Council on 01462 474000. The council will then deploy its contractor to collect the animal.