A DOG owner has made a heart-wrenching plea for the safe return of her puppy.

It is believed the three-month-old pedigree Bichon Frise puppy, Archie, worth £500, was stolen from its owner's secure back garden in Westhoughton at about 1.30pm on April 19.

Owner Lisa Stones, from Holden Lea in Wingates, bought the designer dog as a present for her 18-year-old daughter, who she says is "absolutely devastated".

Mrs Stones, aged 42, said: "He had never been let out before and we had only just let him go out in the garden because it was a nice day.

"We have got a 6ft-high secure gate, which had a big bag of tree bark rested up against it, so there is no way he could have pushed it open himself.

"My daughter Shannon is absolutely devastated — she had developed a really close bond with him and even slept in bed with him.

"I'm really upset and worried for his safety.

"We have looked everywhere for him but no-one has seen or heard anything.

"We have been looking through CCTV and about six minutes before he was taken we can hear him yelp but can't see anything because of a blind spot."

Mrs Stones' son Richard Simpson, aged 19, is believed to have let Archie out in the garden for about an hour before noticing that the back garden gate had been pushed open.

A police spokesman said: "We are investigating and will be examining CCTV footage from the family home and following lines of enquiry."

The suspected theft follows a number of other similar incidents in Bolton.

In 2011 two pedigree Japanese Shiba Inu dogs, worth £900 each, were stolen from a back garden in Little Lever.

The same year, a husky dog was stolen from a garden in Farnworth.

Anyone with information can call Mrs Stones on 07593 958530.