A FAMILY is appealing for help to get two of their beloved pets home safely, after they went missing in the snow.

Andrew and Clare Smith, of Ramshaw, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, are offering a reward for the safe return of Sugar and Maadam.

The two French bulldog bitches were playing in the snow outside their owners’ home, at Gordon Gill, on Monday before they went missing.

Mr Smith fears for their welfare in such bad weather, particularly as Sugar is expecting her first litter in about four weeks and Maadam is only nine months old.

He said: “We have CCTV and were watching them regularly and we’ve quite large grounds so they don’t usually stray far. But maybe the snow spooked them and they got disorientated.

“I’m very concerned about them. We’ve called kennels, the RSPCA and vets hoping someone has handed them in and a team of us have searched about five miles around the area.

“I’m hoping someone has picked them up and gets them back to us, and I’d be prepared to offer a reward.”

The couple’s children, Ryan, 12, and Adam, eight, are also missing the pair.

The family has eight other French and English bulldogs which they have bred and shown at exhibitions for ten years.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Mr Smith, who runs Ramshaw Transport removals firm, on 01388-832997.