An autistic girl has been left desperately confused and upset because her beloved family pet has been missing for two weeks.

The Ray family, from Draycott, are desperate to find their two-year-old border collie, Chance, after he disappeared on December 21.

Jilly-Anne Ray said her 11-year-old autistic sister was "very confused" about why Chance hasn't been at home with the family's other five dogs.

The 25-year-old, who lives with her parents and two sisters at the family's farm, said: "My autistic sister Phoebe has been looking around for him. It's horrible.

"The things she's used to like Chance having the scraps of our dinner hasn't happened."

Chance went missing during a walk in Draycott with Jilly-Anne when he got spooked and ran off.

Jilly-Anne Ray said her and Chance had 'been through everything together'

Jilly-Anne, who works in property, said: "We’ve been through everything together. I've had him since the day he was born because we've also got his mum and dad.

"When he was born I fed him with a spoon and a syringe for 12 hours when his mum couldn't.

"On Christmas Day I was out all day looking for him. On walks we call his name and his brother and sister howl when they hear it. They know he has gone too."

She said her other sister Olivia, 12, wakes up in the morning and checks to see if Chance is waiting outside.

Jilly-Anne said Chance is wearing a red collar and has a distinctive black tail with a white tip. She said his main feature is a thin stripe on the front of his head.

The family have had several people say they have seen Chance in Sawley and Kirk Langley and that they believe he is moving around fields.

Jilly-Anne said: "He has been popping up in rural areas. That has given us hope that he is OK, but we need more people to come forward so we can get him back.

"We had phone phone call from someone saying they were chasing a border collie around a park but couldn't catch him.

"We hope that with there being fields around our house that he will find his way home."

Dog SOS Derbyshire are appealing to find Chance on their Facebook page.

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