Fund set up in memory of beloved Telford dog

Janice Bannister, from Telford, spent a week desperately searching for her beloved Japanese Shiba Inu.

Sadly, the search ended in tragedy when Sylvia was found drowned in the sea just miles from where she disappeared on Anglesey.

The beloved pet, who went missing on January 17, was found by a dog walker at the western entrance of the Menai Strait near Caernarfon following a huge search and rescue operation.

Mrs Bannister, who spent £750 on hiring a helicopter and scoured Anglesey for 12 hours a day, has set up the From Sylvia with Love memorial fund.

It will help to raise money for coastguards on Anglesey to thank them for their hard work during the search and more than £800 has been donated so far.

Mrs Bannister, 58, said: "We were all out looking for her when the news came through that she had been found.

"We were all devastated. The coastguards were out searching with us at the time but they went to the point where she was found – a very treacherous place – and they carried her back to me in a blanket.

"She's at home with us now and we're going to bury her.

"I really want to put something back into the local community because they have been so good and without the coastguards I wouldn't have had any closure. We're determined to make sure she didn't die in vain. As a thank you to the good people of Anglesey, people can help us raise money for the voluntary Anglesey coastguards."

Mrs Bannister, who runs a boarding kennel in Telford, lost Sylvia when she was preparing to go for a walk on Newborough beach on the south of the island with eight of her 16 dogs.

She said she started looking as soon as she noticed Sylvia was missing, but couldn't find her.

Her plight sparked a huge search, with people coming from as far afield as London, Stoke, Lancashire and the Midlands to help look for her.

She even left food at the car park in the hope Sylvia would return.

Anyone wishing to donate can via PayPal. Please email Fromsylviawithlove@outlook.com for details.