A 160-year-old statue in Perth depicts the renowned writer with his deerhound, Maida – but the dog has been stolen.

Maida went missing shortly before the COVID-19 lockdown and both police and councillors have appealed for information about her whereabouts, The Courier reports.

Councillor Peter Barrett joked: “It’s really strange, because normally she hardly moves from her master’s side.

“In fact, she’s a very well-behaved pet, surprisingly heavy for her size, doesn’t bark loudly or make a sound, stays at heel really well – going off like this just isn’t like her.”

He added: “Finding her again could be a monumental task but if anyone knows where she is please let the council know as we would like to retrieve her.”