A SEARCH is underway for Bazzie, a dog belonging to a 95-year-old living in a care home.

The elderly woman was forced to put the black and white Jack Russell terrier bitch into foster care when she moved at the end of last year.

Jenny Johns, who has been looking after the pet, has been taking her to the care home in Wanstead regularly to see her owner.

But now Bazzie has gone missing from Mornington Road, Chingford, and her owner is concerned about why her dog has not been visiting.

Ms Johns said: "We have tried not to mention Bazzie's disappearance as we know she will be devastated.

"We have held out hope we will find her but know now we have to tell her owner. It will be so upsetting as she loved the dog.

"She has no family and no-one else, just Bazzie.

"It breaks my heart to have to tell her what happened.

"However I am appealing to anyone who may have seen Bazzie to make contact."

Bazzie was last seen heading into Epping Forest near Woodford and could have been making her way to her old home near Snaresbrook.

She has a collar with a tag and is microchipped.

Call 020 8529 2844 if you think you know where she is.

The search for Bazzie is being assisted by doglost.co.uk, a national organisation that uses volunteers to help the owners of lost or stolen dogs by putting up posters, searching the streets and sharing information.

There is a gallery of missing dogs on the website.