Four-year-old Jordan Howens says that he would swop all his Christmas presents this year for just one thing, the return of his beloved puppy.

The youngster from Harlescott, in Shrewsbury, has been in “buckets of tears” since four-month-old Scamp vanished on Sunday.

He says that now all he wants is to have the missing dog return safely home. Dad Matt Howens said that the family has only had Scamp for around four weeks.

He said the timing is particularly bad because the miniature Jack Russell was due to be microchipped this week.

Scamp is black and wears a pink collar.

Mr Howens said: “She is also not a well dog at the moment, and has been down in the dumps, so we are worried about her.

“Jordan has been very upset and cried buckets of tears. “He came down this morning and looked at all his Christmas presents and said he would swop them if the dog could come back.

“He absolutely loved her and it is so hard to explain to a four-year-old what has happened.

“I’m not sure how she got out at the moment, but we noticed that she was missing at around 3pm on Sunday,” he added. “We just really want to have her back in time for Christmas.”

Mr Howens said that the family is now getting leaflets and posters printed in the hope that someone might recognise the pup.

He said he was keeping his fingers crossed that someone may be able to play the role of Santa and bring Scamp back home to make his son’s Christmas wishes come true.

The upset youngster is now facing a miserable Christmas if his beloved pet cannot be found before the big day, despite the best efforts of his family.

His dad, Mr Howens, said he was desperate to hear from anyone who might have spotted the miniature Jack Russell.

Anyone who sees Scamp on the loose can get in touch with Mr Howens on 07869 167236.

By Alys Cummings