The distraught owner of a missing beagle is pulling out all stops to get her beloved pet home for its first birthday.
Melissa Taylor is doing everything she can think of to find Bee, a female tri-coloured beagle.
She has called local vets, the SPCA, nearby schools, organising help to deliver posters to homes, placed ads in local papers and on radio stations, posted messages on online forums and Facebook pages and asked road workers working nearby to keep an eye out.
Miss Taylor left her pup with a foster family while she and her partner travelled to the United States. Bee's foster family visited a kiwifruit orchard on State Highway 2 near Athenree on January 31.
Sometime during the visit, Bee went walkabout and has not been seen since.
It is Bee's first birthday today and Miss Taylor hoped someone would come forward with a lead that would bring "our little girl" home safe and sound.
She is offering a reward for Bee's return.
Miss Taylor is distraught about her pup's disappearance but is thankful to the Katikati community for their support since she launched her search.
"The support from the Katikati community has been overwhelming, I have been receiving messages of support every day, mostly from people I don't know, offering to do something to help including everything from ground searches to sharing information in the community.
"The incredible kindness we have experienced from not only our friends and family, but the entire Bay of Plenty community and beyond.
"Their willingness to help us find Bee has gone beyond anything we could have imagined. We feel so blessed to have received such a warm response in such a difficult time for Sam and I all the way over here. We would like to thank everyone."
She described Bee as a "charismatic, affectionate, playful, cheek and social little dog".
The pup weighed about 11kg and was wearing a red collar. She has a white spot on her back in front of her tail.
Bee is microchipped, but Miss Taylor is now regretting that she did not buy her a GPS collar.
"Friends and family have been amazing, organising ground searches, working everyday to ensure we have done everything possible to help bring her home.
"We just want her back."
Miss Taylor wanted to share the importance of microchipping pets and keeping contact information up to date.
Anyone with information of Bee's whereabouts is asked to get in touch with Melissa via the Facebook group "Bring Bee Home".