Two Te Puke sisters have scraped up an $8000 reward for the safe return of their dog, which has been missing for nearly three months.
Dog trainer Mandy Wood took on her sister's blue-grey Staffy, Bolt, last year to socialise him with her dogs and train the two-year-old.
In January, Bolt was sent back to live with Wood's sister after a dog, which had been subjected to dogfighting and breeding, turned up at her door needing care.
Within two weeks, Bolt had disappeared.
Wood believed he had been taken as he was a purebred pup and people might have wanted to use him for breeding purposes.
This had left the family "broken" and they rallied to scrape together an $8000 reward in the hope of getting him home.
"We would offer more if we could," Wood said.
"He is a part of our hearts ... we will do anything to get him home."
She was certain someone knew where he was and hoped the large reward would hasten Bolt's return.
There would be "no questions asked" if someone could just return him, she said.
"This is destroying our family."
Wood's regularly spent hours searching the area and in the bush for Bolt.
She said she had "cried so many tears" over their "muscly little dude".
"That dog just means so much to us."
Wood had paid for advertising, hoping that someone might see it and recognise him from their area.
She said he would likely have been sold on and could be anywhere in the Bay of Plenty.
She pleaded for people to keep their eyes peeled.
"You can't miss him, he is such a stunning dog ... we will never give up hope."
She asked anyone with any information to contact her through Facebook.
Western Bay of Plenty District could have fewer councillors to vote for next election.