A MAN is offering a £500 reward to anyone who can help reunite him with his pet dog which was snatched by two muggers.

Paul Guest was taking his dog Russell, a Jack Russell terrier, out for his usual walk around the Broadway in Loughton on Thursday (July 6) when he was attacked by two men who snatched the dog.

Earlier, Mr Guest and Russell went to the Churchill pub on the Broadway where Russell is also a regular.

While chatting to a friend outside the pub shortly before 11pm, Mr Guest spotted two suspicious-looking men, who were white and in their 30s, playing with the latch on Russell's collar.

After asking them to stop he decided to walk home down Rectory Lane, and into Borders Lane, and was turning into Ladyfields when he was struck from behind.

He said: "I thought I was being run over, they both jumped on me at the same time and dragged me to the ground. I tried to fight them but they pinned me down, then one of the grabbed Russell and they both ran off in different directions."

"I didn't see which one had him, he's only small, I tried to run after them but they were long gone."

Mr Guest called his brother Richard who dialled 999 and the pair spent the rest of the night searching the area for the six-year-old dog.

Mr Guest said losing Russell was "like losing a child".

He added: "He's my family, I can't believe someone else has him. I can't eat or sleep worrying about him out there.

"My mother is 89 and she hasn't stopped crying since he was taken. We also have another little dog who hasn't eaten since because she's pining for Russell. My grandchildren, my brother, my kids - we're all absolutely torn up. He means everything to me."

The muggers were of Eastern European appearance and in their early to mid-30s.

The terrier has mainly white fur, with a long tail and an unusual black mark around the base of his tail and a white streak down his nose.

Anyone with any information is asked to call 07946 154 597.

A spokesman for Essex Police said they were investigating and asked anyone with information to contact them on 0300 333 4444.