A family has told how their dog was left to die by a roadside after she was stolen from their home.

Border collie Jess, who had been in training to become a rescue dog overseas, suffered such horrific injuries they believe she had been thrown from a car at speed.

Firefighter Geoff Parkinson, 36, returned to his Ringmer home to find the cat flap in the back door removed and Jess missing.

He said she must have been snatched from the kitchen while the family were at work.

Mr Parkinson was The Argus Local Hero of the Year 2002 for his work rescuing children from an earthquake in India.

He is a member of global disaster response team Rapid UK and had been training Jess to help save the lives of others.

Within an hour of realising Jess had been stolen, Mr Parkinson received a call from a woman who had found Jess' limp body on the side of Kingston Road, Lewes.

He rushed to the scene but discovered Jess was dead. She had suffered horrific multiple injuries.

Mr Parkinson, his wife Jackie and their three-year-old daughter Holly are struggling to come to terms with the loss of the dog they called "perfect".

Mr Parkinson said: "Jess was not just a dog, she was a member of the family and her death has destroyed us. I cannot comprehend how a human being could treat another breathing creature in such a cruel way.

"She was an exceptional animal and we had a very special bond."

Jess was bought from Corie Collies boarding kennels in Lewes and was just seven months old. Coming from a long line of pedigrees, she was worth about £700.

Mr Parkinson said Jess was about two weeks away from being formerly accepted to join his rescue team, which sends volunteers to countries hit by natural disasters all over the world.

She would have acted as a sniffer dog to trace people buried beneath rubble or trapped where humans would find it hard to find them.

Mr Parkinson, station commander at Uckfield and Hailsham fire station, thought she was taken by people who wanted to breed from her.

Sean Hamilton-Bradbury, who sold Jess to Mr Parkinson, said she came from Crufts-winning parents.

He said: "I always recommend owners have their dogs tattooed in their ear, which Jess was. They couldn't really cut off her ear because it would be easier to trace a dog with one ear."

A similar fate befell Jess's mother Jabisca, who is cared for by Mr Hamilton-Bradbury, a few years ago.

He said: "Jess's mother Jabisca was stolen from our garden but because she has got a tattoo in her ear, they chucked her out of the car window too.

She was found three days later wandering around near Paradise Park in Newhaven."

Anyone with information should call PC Greg Brown on 0845 6070999.