Steve and Julie Pigott’s six-month-old black labrador Buster went missing during a family trip to Staithes on Saturday October 4.

Despite an extensive search throughout that area no trace of him was found.

The couple offered a £1,000 reward in the hope that would help to get him back, and then, following an appeal in the Mercury’s sister paper, the Whitby Gazette, they got two calls reporting sightings.

One said Buster had been seen in Sleights three days after he went missing and another said he was seen at Saltersgate on the A169 Whitby to Pickering road last Wednesday.

Julie, who lives at Ingleby Barwick, near Stockton-on-Tees, said: “If they were real sightings it seems that Buster could be heading towards Pickering so we’re urging people in that area to look out for him.

“His mother is a gundog and we’ve had her sniffing around Staithes to see if she could pick up a scent, but without any joy.”

Buster was wearing a collar and he has been microchipped so if he was found he could be traced back to Steve and Julie, whose two-year-old son, Dylan has been devastated by Buster’s disappearance.

Julie said: “Buster is not just a pet, he is part of our family and we want him back.”

Anyone who may have seen Buster should call 07968 567417.