NEARLY 300 dogs have gone missing or been stolen across Basildon in the last year.

The figures were revealed just days after a dog is believed to have been stolen from a home in Pitsea.

Between April last year and March this year, 285 dogs have gone missing, or have been taken by thieves.

Now Basildon Council, as part of its joint Care for your Canine campaign with the Echo, is urging anyone who finds a dog to make sure they report it.

The council fears some people are keeping dogs they find, believing them to be abandoned, when they are lost.

On Thursday, a Yorkshire terrier cross called Tia went missing from a home in Pitsea.

The dog’s owner received a call to say Tia may have been in an accident and was being taken to the vet. However, no vets in the area have received a stray matching Tia’s description.

Basildon Council’s animal control team is urging anyone who finds a dog to report it. Once animals are collected by the team and housed in kennels, owners have seven days to claim them before they are rehoused.

Sarah Moran, Basildon Council’s animal control officer, said: “It seems people will find a dog and assume it is has been abandoned and, instead of reporting it to the council, will keep it themselves.

“More often than not, the dog is a family pet and it can be devastating for the owners when their dog goes missing.

“We are the best people to help reunite dogs and owners as we have the knowledge, experience and contacts to make it happen.

“Some people still think dog wardens are nasty people who only capture dogs and collect fines, when actually we just want the best for dogs and owners.”

It is a criminal offence to fail to inform the local authority that you have found a stray dog.

Among the dogs on the borough’s missing list are Wayne, a Jack Russell Yorkie cross. He went missing on October 29 last year in the Dry Street area of Langdon Hills. He is tan and black and has a docked tail.

Also missing is Molly. She is a black Patterdale terrier with a white blaze on her chest. She went missing in Vange on December 1 last year.

Call Basildon Council’s animal control team on 01268 294280.

Further details of the missing dogs are on the DogLost website at www.doglost.co.uk