Shadow, a dog that has been with the Gozo SPCA for over four years, ran away after a day out went sour when a farmer threw stones at it in a field near Xagħra.

The brown, white-flecked bitch was in the care of a couple of foreign dog-minders as part of her rehabilitation when she ran off last Tuesday. Shadow managed to slip out of their house and into a nearby field.

But as the couple fetched the dog's leash indoors, a farmer nearby who had just ploughed the field started pelting Shadow with rocks. She has not been seen since.

Terrified, Shadow ran away and has not been seen since. She has a docked tail and wears two collars: a red one with a bone-shaped tag and a Blue Cross collar.

"The callous action of one mindless individual has left a dog out there lonely, cold and very afraid," a spokesman for the SPCA said. "All her carers have had their Christmas ruined as they worry about what might have happened to her."

The SPCA is appealing to anyone who may have seen the dog in the Xagħra area to call Betty on 9980 7067 or send an e-mail to info@spca-gozo.org.