The family of a heartbroken little girl who asked Santa to bring her lost sheepdog home instead of toys have put up a reward for the return of the much-loved pet.
Chubs, a four-year-old border collie, has been missing from Tomintoul since early December.
Adele Irvine, 10, who got him as a puppy for Christmas in 2010 made the desperate plea to Father Christmas in the run up to the festive season, but sadly her request went unfulfilled.
Adele, who goes to Tomintoul Primary School, handed out fliers to her fellow pupils in an effort to find her beloved pet and posted appeals on a social networking site.
They too came to nothing and now her father, farmer Raymond Irvine, said the family were offering a cash reward for information leading to his return.
Mr Irvine, 42, said Adele and Chubs were inseparable. Her brother, Johnny, eight, is also missing him terribly.
“Adele is so disappointed that he hasn’t come back,” he said.
“She says she keeps dreaming that Chubs has come home, then she wakes up and he’s not here and she gets upset all over again.”
The collie, who herds the family’s flock of rare Valais Blacknose sheep, went missing from the farm on Thursday, December 4.
Mr Irvine said: “He was such a beautiful dog, playing with the kids and working on the farm, and he never wandered very far home.
“I think it’s likely someone has taken him or he’s maybe been hit by a car, but I have searched the whole area and found nothing. The hardest part is just not knowing.
“The appeal for Chubs to be returned was in newspapers and magazines and we posted it online, where it was shared about 20,000 times all over the UK and abroad.
“We were really hopeful that so much publicity would bring him back to us.
“We’re now offering a reward for his return and we’ve had people offering to donate towards it.
Anyone with any information that might help the family to trace Chubs is asked to call Mr Irvine on 01807 590398 or by e-mail at raymondirvine@btinternet.com.