On January 12 last year, Blippi, a two year old pug, went missing from his home in Durban North. Since then, his family has not given up hope of finding him.
"Someone unfortunately left the gate open," said his owner Andrea Dorasamy.
She said since his disappearance, no one in their family would be "normal again until we find him".
"It has been such a hard journey so far, both mentally and physically. Blippi is family. Him being missing is like having a child go missing. I cannot begin to explain how it has affected me. I have days where I can't deal with people because I'm so down and end up crying for hours on end," she said.
Dorasamy said Blippi was given to her mother three years ago on her mother’s 60th birthday. Her mom turned 63 last Thursday.
"My mom has been pug obsessed since forever. We have three other pugs. She was so thrilled to have another baby join our family. Blippi and my mom were literally besties. She used to wake up and the first thing she would do is check on him in the lounge or outside. She bought him puppy tuxedos, treats and all the spoils you could possibly think of. She was devastated to have woken up to an open gate and no Blippi."
Dorasamy regularly posts updates on social media about Blippi, hoping someone has found or spotted him.
During her search, Kayla Venter and Carey-Ann Griggs reached out to Dorasamy to assist in her search.
"Later, Karina Webster helped us. She lost her dogs two weeks prior to Blippi going missing. Karina used the animal communications and tracking service Endless Pawsibilities, co-owned by tracker Alyssa Smith, and via her advice and readings, she found her dogs. Alyssa has reunited many others with their lost pets."
While they have not had any positive sightings of Blippi, Dorasamy said she would never give up hope.
"I know he is out there. He deserves the chance for us to bring him home where he belongs."
She said Blippi was "forever hyper and full of tricks".
"He was spoiled, so he knew exactly how to act to get what he wanted. He loved belly rubs, enjoyed puppy snacks and absolutely loved chicken livers and rice. If we gave Blippi chunks, he would kick his bowl over and refuse to eat them. That’s how spoiled he was."
Blippi would have turned three last month.
If you have information that may assist in the search, call Bubbles Dorasamy on 082 746 6693 or Karina Webster on 078 769 7321.