A dog is missing from an animal adoption centre after an exploding firework is thought to have panicked her into jumping over a 6ft 6in fence.

Sally, an 18-month-old German Shepherd, cleared the perimeter of the Blue Cross centre in London Road, Lewknor, near Watlington, on Saturday night.

Staff at the centre stressed it was very rare for a dog to escape.

They added that the young pet was naturally very nervous and may not be approachable.

Spokesman Laura Dobson said: “Sally is an 18-month-old, fully grown, but quite slim German Shepherd. We have been scouring the area with police and dog wardens but no-one has seen her, so we're appealing to readers to look out for her.

“She is wearing a Blue Cross collar and tag, with a lead attached, and she has been missing for a couple of days so she may look quite bedraggled. Sally is a very nervous dog and she's likely to be very scared so we wouldn't recommend that people approach her.

“Instead, they should call the Blue Cross straight away on 07787 523201 or Thames Valley Police on 08458 505505 and we will come out to get her.

“I should stress that this is an extremely rare occurrence that we have never seen before at the Lewknor centre. Sally appears to have jumped over the from a standstill before running away, and we suspect she may have been scared by a firework.”