THE owner of a dog that has been missing since Monday has thanked the public for their “overwhelming” support as the search for her pet continues.

Dee Burgess says her one-and-a-half year old border terrier dog, named Nero, went missing on a walk in a field near Farm Road, in Little Park, just outside of Andover.

He is collared, chipped and tracked, but has not been seen since darting under a fence in the field.

Nero is described as biscuit coloured with black ears, and has a “lovely nature” and is very gentle with people. From a distance he can resemble a fox, Dee notes.

She has been searching for Nero ever since he went missing and has thanked the huge range of individuals and groups who have lent their support to the search, including the British Transport Police, Network Rail, Test Valley Borough Council and even the army.

“I’ve done the A303 at least 11 times now with people,” said the 56-year-old.

“There’s nothing there, and there’s nothing on the small roads either.”

“It’s just the not knowing, that’s the hard part.”

Dee, a nurse, and her husband John live at the army headquarters, in Monxton Road – although John is currently away.

“So he can’t even get home to be with me,” she said, “which is really hard for me and for him.”

But Dee has been helped by an outpouring of support from the community, with hundreds and hundreds of people sharing her appeal on social media and many joining in the search for Nero.

Her original post, which has since been updated, has now been shared more than a thousand times, with many more commenting and offering support.

“We just want to thank people really for their genuine support and love and for trying to find him,” said Dee.

“We moved to Andover four years ago and we love it, we love the people here, but we’ve been so grateful for the kindness of everybody.

“We’ve had so many people who’ve shared [on social media], I’m so overwhelmed.”

Anyone who spots Nero is urged to contact police on 101 and quote reference 442 along with today’s date 12/02/2020.