A DEVASTATED dog owner is trying to make her prized pet “too hot to handle” after fears she was stolen from her front garden.

Leanne Driscoll, a mum-of-two, has been left heartbroken after her French Bulldog, named Coco, disappeared without trace from her front garden on Friday.

The pooch hasn’t been seen in more than 72 hours and Leanne believes she was stolen from the garden with no signs of the two-and-half-year-old being able to escape.

Coco was last seen at approximately 5pm on Friday August 23 off Goldington Crescent, Billericay and is described as a brown and tan French Bulldog.

Missing - CocoMissing - Coco (Image: Leanne Driscoll)

Leanne, 36, has reported the incident to police.

She said: “She is a very friendly dog, and she was out the front, she has never run off and wandered.

“On Friday evening I went to work and my boy’s dad rang me up around 6.30pm and said the dog is not there.

“We haven’t seen her since, not one sighting, no CCTV and no Ring doorbell footage.

“She wasn’t abandoned in the front garden, she doesn’t wander, and she knows where her home is, she isn’t a runaway.

“I suspect there is foul play, I didn’t want to and I wouldn’t say she is an expensive dog but I have done everything we can think of, all we can do.”

Since Friday evening, Leanne has heard nothing about the condition of Coco or had a single lead despite repeated appeals on social media for sightings.

She added: “It has been awful, my six-year-old daughter is making posters, it is awful and the whole situation is so frustrating.

“She is our little family dog, I have been on the phones, I have been answering questions and I am getting texts and notifications on Facebook all day.

“Knocking around, calling for your dog and them not coming to you is the most heart-breaking thing, it is soul-destroying, and my little girl doesn’t understand the reality of it but my boy is a bit more knowing.

“There is a chance she isn’t coming back.”

Anyone who spots the dog or has information is urged to contact Leanne on Facebook or call police on 101 with information that could help locate Coco.