A DISTRAUGHT family's missing pet dog was reportedly spotted near Bledlow Ridge this morning - but he is still missing, a month after disappearing.

Quigley, an eight-year-old crossbreed, went missing from the Watlington Hills in Oxfordshire on January 2, prompting his owners to jet back from New York hours after news broke of his disappearance.

News of his disappearance has spread quickly through websites dedicated to finding lost pets, and a sighting was made of him in Bucks at about 10am today - but he has still not been re-captured from the wild and returned to his owners.

Heartbroken owner Holly Rizzuto Palker said searching for their beloved pet had become a full-time job - and her daughter Olivia wants money donated to the doglost.co.uk website instead of receiving presents for her sixth birthday next month.

She said the family has even enlisted the help of a friend who is a Red Cross volunteer and helped search for survivors in the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in a bid to find him.

She said: "We've been out searching for him constantly. We're working very hard to find him. It's become my full time job.

"We're doing as much as we can but we don't know what to do, having never been in this situation before.

"We're having a very difficult time imagining life without him. My heart is broken and my husband's heart is broken, and the children are having a difficult time understanding the situation.

"I always knew how much I loved Quigley and how my heart felt for this guy but I couldn't have pictured the pain of not knowing what's going on with him."

The family adopted a five week old Quigley from a 'kill shelter' in Tennessee eight years ago, because "he was adorable and because we wanted to save his life".

Quigley is described as having black patches and spots all over his coat. His markings look like that of a German Short Haired Pointer or Catahoula Leopard Dog, but he is a little bit smaller than a collie. His face and paws have tan mixed in and has three black spots on his posterior.

A large reward is being offered for his safe return, or news leading to it. Quigley, who has developed a shaking habit, needs to get to a vet for monthly specialist medical care after he contracted the intestinal infection Giardia . Anyone with information should call 07770 751631 or 0844 8003220. For more information go to http://www.doglost.co.uk/dog_blog.php?dogId=35889&status=lost.