A heartbroken family is offering a €1,500 cash reward for the return of their beloved pet, a four-year-old white Chow Chow called Mika.
Speaking to Times of Malta, Mika’s owner Dylan Drago said his family was desperate for information about the dog’s whereabouts after a few unconfirmed sightings saw them spending hours combing the countryside between Naxxar and Mosta to no avail.
“Mika got lost around 8pm on Sunday evening and the first calls came in at around 9pm,” Drago said.
“My friends and I went out to look for her but we found nothing. Then we got a call that someone had seen her in Burmarrad so we sped off to find her. We were out there until 2am before we gave up.”
A primarily indoor pet, Mika’s family periodically let her out into the garden. On Sunday evening, when Drago’s father let Mika out before turning in for the night, he noticed a fraction of a second too late that the latch to the gate had not been secured properly. But before he had time to act, Mika had slipped through the crack and disappeared into the darkness.
Mika was sighted by the public in Mosta, Burmarrad and Wardija, but despite spending several evenings walking the streets and calling out her name no one looking for her has been able to spot her again.
“On Monday morning she was spotted in Burmarrad again, we combed every inch of the fields but still turned up with nothing,” Drago continued.
“The same day she was seen in Wardija and we were out there all evening. The team from (TV show) Gadgets and some friends with drones even came out to help us look for her from above.”
Drago said that after almost four days of non-stop searching, the family are beginning to fear the worst has happened to Mika.
“We must have walked the entirety of Wardija last night and we still haven’t found her,” he said defeatedly.
“Our entire family is so broken up about this, we’re feeling so lost. At this point, we’re seriously considering the fact that someone may have taken her.”
Drago is hoping that Thursday being a public holiday, there may be more eyes in open spaces who might be able to reunite Mika with her family.
“We appeal to anyone who’s going to be out for a hike or a picnic tomorrow because it looks like it’s going to be a nice day, to keep your eyes peeled for Mika,” he said.
“If you manage to feed her and hold onto her while we make our way there, it might make all the difference. Because honestly, I feel like this is my last hope of seeing her alive.”
While Mika’s picture has been shared over a thousand times on Facebook, Drago said that vets are also keeping a lookout for female white Chow Chows at their clinics and Mika’s microchip number has been registered as missing, in a bid to identify her more easily.
Despite their lack of high hopes, the Drago family are willing to go the distance to bring back their lost family member.
“Honestly Mika lives like royalty. She’s a rather lazy dog, she’s always indoors and she sleeps on our beds,” Drago said.
“She’s been sleeping outside for three nights, I can’t imagine how scared and confused she must be.”
Anyone with information on Mika’s whereabouts can contact the Drago family on 99522100, 99497769 or 99240101.