A REWARD of £1,000 has been offered for the return of a stolen Jack Russell dog which could go blind without its medication.

The cash has been put up by owners Vincent and Lisa Gregg, who have had nine-year-old Newey as their family pet all his life.

The couple, from Windermere, had made a quick visit to a shop in Darwen to pick up a set of spare keys for their son's trial bike, which he got for Christmas.

They parked on Sainsbury's car park but when they returned to their van at around 3pm it had been broken into and the trial bike, a bag of clothes and one of their three Jack Russells were gone. The couple and other relatives, including the couple's nine-year-old and 11-year-old sons, have since spent every day searching for Newey, who is on medication for her eyes and without which she could go blind.

They have put up around 1,000 posters in Darwen, Blackburn and Hyndburn in the hope of someone being able to find their pet.

Mr Gregg, 34, a window cleaner, said: "We just want her back again so we can hold her. Even if she's dead, at least we would be able to bury her.

"We have stayed in bed and breakfasts for two nights so we could spend as much time as possible searching the area but then the last couple of nights I've driven back home in between. Our dog is not well and she will need her medication. She can only see ten feet ahead of her. We all miss her and our other two dogs are not their normal selves.

"When a dog gets scared it can do anything, I suppose, but my belief is that she was taken. She is very loyal and lost without me so I can't see her running off when the others were still there.

"We have put posters in shops, pubs, bus stations, anywhere people might look, in the hope of getting her back."

Newey is a white and tan Jack Russell and was wearing a collar but no tag.

Anyone with information should contact Vincent on 07741 018176.