A struggling artist is hunting for his two missing dogs after he put them on top of his car and then drove off.

But Anton Cataldo doesn't think his precious pooches will have come to any harm he just thinks someone will have hung them on their wall.

The 28-year-old has put up missing posters across Brighton asking for residents help to find Oscar and Sam.

But rather than being the usual four-legged variety of lost dogs, these are two dimensional ones paintings Mr Cataldo created of his parents beloved pets.

Mr Cataldo, who is a part-time carer but also paints pet portraits, had borrowed the framed paintings of labrador Sam and Oscar, a labrador-collie cross, from his parents to take to a job interview.

But when he returned to his car from his studio in Vine Street, Brighton, he made the mistake of putting the paintings on the roof of his car, before driving away from The Level in Brighton.

He said: "I feel really stupid. The paintings obviously slid off on the way to my parents house but there is no way of knowing where.

"I've been doing everything I can to try to trace them."

But Mr Cataldo's posters have caused some confusion, with some residents calling to tell him they have seen a real dog running around.

He said: "I've received calls from a couple of people who thought the posters were looking for a real lost dog.

"Some of my friends also saw the posters and thought it was some kind of advertising ploy, but it isn't.

"As well as the time and the money it took to paint them, they have a lot of sentimental value because Sam has died since I made the painting."

Mr Cataldo is offering a £100 reward for the return of the paintings, which measure 8in by 12in and are in dark wooden frames.

Both have backgrounds of green grass and dark sky.

To view the paintings visit www.finepetportraiture.com.

Anyone who may have seen the paintings can call Mr Cataldo on 07909 536390 or email antoncataldo@gmail.com.