A THREE-YEAR-OLD Darlington girl needs help finding her best friend.

Jack Russell Daisy vanished from Ketton Hall Kennels, near Darlington, on Tuesday, June 21.

The tiny dog is the closest friend of little Sascha Jeffrey, who can’t understand why her beloved pet is not at home.

Daisy’s owner, Pippa Jeffrey, paid £72 to put Daisy into the kennels ahead of a holiday to Edinburgh.

She was forced to cut the holiday short on Tuesday after discovering Daisy had escaped the kennels via an insecure gate.

Today, she criticised kennel owners for failing to adequately secure their premises and for waiting hours before alerting a third party to the incident.

Ms Jeffrey said: “Daisy went missing at 9am and they didn’t tell my brother-in-law until 1pm – they didn’t bother contacting me at all.

“She is quite a timid dog so hopefully she won’t go near a main road but other dogs might and could end up killed.

“I’m furious that they let this happen and they really need to up their security.”

Daisy’s family are now relentlessly searching the Darlington area for their missing pet and have urged people to help them find her.

Ms Jeffrey said: “Sascha is so confused, Daisy is her best friend and she doesn’t understand why she’s not here.

“I’m stressed, my little girl doesn’t know what’s going on and we literally got back from holiday and started searching.

“We’ve been out every day from 6.30am until late – she’s been seen in two places around Ketton Lane fields but she’s still missing and we need help.”

Anyone who may have seen Daisy or who can help with the search should contact Ms Jeffrey on 07523 847855.

A spokeswoman for Ketton Hall Kennels refused to comment on the issue.