DOG owners are appealing for help to find two beloved dachshunds which went missing.

Little Elfie and Huxley went missing while on a walk with a friend of the owners at Hollingbury Park Golf Course at lunchtime on Wednesday.

The two dogs, a mother and son, aged four and two years old, were let off their leads and ran to the top of the golf course, where they then failed to return when called and have not been seen since.

Hundreds of people gathered to help search for the pups over the weekend – but to no avail.

However, owners Douglas and Teressa Saunders remain hopeful, after two beagles professionally trained to track missing dogs as part of national volunteer organisation K9Tracker picked up their scents.

Douglas Saunders told The Argus: "They probably haven’t strayed far from the golf course or the golf course area up in Hollingbury, which is where they went missing.

"We’ve had some tracker dogs out out to look for them, and they’ve tracked them into Moulsecoomb and back out again, and into Coldean and back out again, as well as the Fiveways area.

"We think they might be scavenging for food and then going back to the golf course.”

Both dogs are described as having smooth coats, with black and tan colouring, however Elfie (the mother) is slightly larger and has a silver-coloured ‘dapple’ effect to her fur. She was last seen wearing a pink fabric collar, while Huxley sported a similar blue one – both with the owner’s mobile number stitched into them.

As dachshunds are bred for hunting purposes, it is thought that the pair had chased foxes or rabbits into their burrows, and may have become stuck. Previously, Huxley had been lost in a rabbit hole near his home for a week, but managed to find his own way out and return home.

The owners have suggested that the dogs may be somewhere around the dew pond at the golf course, however have asked that Elfie and Huxley not be approached if found as dachshunds are known to be incredibly loyal to their owners, and are easily startled by strangers.

For any sightings of the missing Elfie and Huxley, or any information relating to their disappearance, please call the Saunders’ immediately on 07472 362262.