An Orpington man is appealing for help and funds in the hunt for his dog who was reportedly stolen recently.

Ben said his brother Jordan's Caucasian shepherd Ivar was "stolen during the night" from the Knockholt area of Orpington and has launched a public appeal across social media platforms to help get his friend back safely.

After sharing details of the apparent kidnapping online, Ben said the response had been "insane" in terms of engagement with many people hoping to help in some way.

To that end, he launched a fundraiser on behalf of his brother that currently has dozens of donations and has raised some £1,820 in his quest to return Ivan to his rightful home.

"My Caucasian shepherd IVAR has been Stolen in the night from the Knockholt area near Orpington, I have been appealing to Facebook in order to help reach out in the community to help find my boy and the response has been insane, and i am so grateful," Ben said, quoting Jordan in a post on the Gofundme website.

Click here for Facebook updates on the search for Ivar

"The most devastating part is i am not in a place where i can offer a large reward for my boy Ivar.

"I wanted to ask if you can spare anything in order to help me offer some form of reward to get my boy home for me!" He added.

News Shopper spoke with Ben as the search for Ivar gathered momentum. 

"He's a very rare breed of dog, he's a yard dog. They live outdoors in the country they're originally from," he explained. 

"The dog has been stolen from the kennel on the Thursday (December 10) and during that time we've had a massive response after sharing the story." 

Ben said amid the massive response, which has seen 64 people donate to the campaign to find Ivar so far, were numerous tip offs but none that had so far led to Ivar's safe return. 

"I just wanted to step up and help my brother," he said. "He's a bit down in the dumps at the moment but the response on the Gofundme and on Facebook has been amazing.

"The aim is to hopefully get at least the street value of the dog back, which is around £3-4,000 at the time," Ben added. 

"I realize it's a bit late now but I'm just hopeful we can do something."

In an update on the Gofundme page, Ben refuted claims that his fundraiser was a "scam" and said that any money that did not go towards funding Ivar would be donated to the RSPCA:

"Sadly some people believe this is a scam and we would just like to update that any money raised that does not go into the recovery of Ivar will be sent to Jordan's charity of choice which is the RSPCA.

"We just want to stomp out any misbeliefs at this point and just want Ivar back.

"Again a massive thanks to everyone who is sharing this around. We are doing everything we possibly can in order to get this dog home safe and sound!" He said.

To find out more and to donate, click here.