A Carter County family is hoping to be reunited with their daughter’s companion dog, Gucci, who has been missing for almost one month.

April Hall is searching for her family’s 2-year-old Morkie, a Maltese and Yorkie mix, who disappeared from the family’s yard on Milligan Highway Jan. 17. In addition to being a family pet, Gucci acts as a comfort dog for Hall’s 13-year-old daughter, Whitney, who has cerebral palsy.

“She relies on her a lot to be there with her,” Hall said. “Gucci comforts her. They are really close.”

Hall had taken Gucci outside at around 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17 for a bathroom break before getting her bath when the small dog went missing.

“I was in the side yard, and she ran around to the front yard and then she was gone,” Hall said. “She was getting her bath, so she didn’t have her collar or her clothes on.”

Since Gucci has been missing, Hall said her daughter has been inconsolable.

“She’s so upset,” Hall said. “She cries all the time. The night it happened, she was so upset we had to take her to the emergency room. That’s how close these two are. Whitney and Gucci have been together since Gucci came to our family.”

Hall and her husband have been searching for Gucci every day since the little dog disappeared. Hall thinks someone may have picked up the dog and has taken it into their home.

“The night it happened, we went to all the neighbors and they didn’t see anything or know where she was,” Hall said. “We go out looking for her every day. We heard tips about where she might be, and we go look and it’s not her. We just want to know where she is and bring her back to us. I feel like I have lost a child.”

Gucci is a small, white dog that Hall described as a bundle of energy that knows no stranger.

“She is very sweet,” Hall said. “She is friendly and would come up to anyone. She is real hyper, too. She has lots of energy. I thought if someone had her, she would have tried to get back to us. Whoever has her has probably fallen in love with her. She is just a very sweet, loving dog.”

Hall is offering a $250 reward for Gucci’s return. Hall can be contacted at 647-2367.