Sandi Smith and Kevin Long search for missing dog Zoe

The heartbroken new owners of an old dog rescued from abuse have put up a $500 reward and plan to hire a detective if that’s what it takes to get her back.

A Gympie couple desperate to find their missing rescue dog has offered a $500 reward and wants to hire a detective to find their beloved pet.

Sandi Smith and her partner Kevin Long have put up a reward for anyone who can bring their dog home, or who has confirmed information on her whereabouts.

Ms Smith said on Tuesday she was saving and scraping money together to afford a pet detective.

Zoe, a 15-year-old terrier, went missing on June 2, 2022 after Ms Smith got a call from her neighbour saying he had seen one of her dogs wandering about.

Ms Smith rushed home from work to find her side gate unlocked and Zoe gone.

Ms Smith and Mr Long have been in a frantic search ever since, walking around their Tozer Park Road neighbourhood and door knocking, asking neighbours, community members and even psychics to see if anyone has seen a terrier.

Sandi Smith has put out a Facebook notice to find her missing dog Zoe in Gympie.

Local vets, businesses, schools and RSPCA have also been contacted. The Gympie Dog Obedience Club also assisted with their trained dog trackers to see if Zoe could be found.

Infinity Flights Photography even took out their drone for a search from the skies, Ms Smith said.

Ms Smith and Mr Long have been taking in rescue dogs for almost 20 years, and before that it was rescue cats.

“I feel like it’s my purpose in life,” Ms Smith said.

She currently has three other dogs at home. She got Zoe from the RSPCA six months ago after she’d been allegedly abused.

Sandi Smith suspects Zoe had been kept in a cage all her life.

Zoe needs eyedrop medication daily for her poor sight, has no teeth, and is unsteady on her feet. The couple is very concerned for her wellbeing.

Ms Smith said she had felt distraught and broken since Zoe’s disappearance.

She was not coping with the guilt, the concern and the feeling that she had let her precious family member down.

“She is my fur baby and I love her,” Ms Smith said.

All they want is Zoe to come home, safe and sound.

Zoe has gone missing near Tozer Park Rd near the Gympie aquatic centre. Please contact Sandi Smith on 0407 625 938 if you have seen her terrier cross dog.