A chihuahua is missing after a seagull reportedly snatched the miniature dog from a back garden in the UK.

Key points: A family member was reportedly hanging the washing when a bird snatched the chihuahua

A family member was reportedly hanging the washing when a bird snatched the chihuahua DogsLost coordinator Wayne May said there was still hope of finding Gizmo

DogsLost coordinator Wayne May said there was still hope of finding Gizmo A spokesman for the UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has said such incidents are "very rare"

Owner Becca Hill, 24, from Paignton, Devon, is searching for her four-year-old teacup chihuahua — which weigh an average 1.3 kilograms — after he went missing on Sunday afternoon (local time).

Wayne May, coordinator for DogsLost, a lost and found dog service in the UK working with Ms Hill to find Gizmo, confirmed the incident to the ABC.

Mr May said a family member was hanging washing when "a large seagull came down and carried the teacup chihuahua out of the garden".

Mr May added that in his near 30 years of working with wildlife, he had not encountered such an "unusual" disappearance.

"Even though seagulls are apex predators of the sea, this is actually the first case I've heard of them taking a small dog," he said.

"It's really unexpected. Living in Devon, you just wouldn't expect that to happen."

Wayne May said the hope was that the seagull dropped Gizmo somewhere safe. ( ABC News: Nic MacBean )

In spite of the unusual circumstances of Gizmo's disappearance, Mr May said there was still hope the chihuahua would be found.

"The nature of gulls in general is that normally they do hunt alone, even though you'll often see them in large flocks," he said.

"What we're hoping is that, normally when one seagull catches an item of prey, then other seagulls mob them.

"Hopefully, it wasn't too high and the particular seagull has dropped Gizmo. So, we're asking members of the public to search their gardens, public spaces, anywhere, for any signs of Gizmo at all."

'Dogs are part of people's families'

The coordinator said Ms Hill was having a difficult time talking about the incident, and the reaction of some had made the process more difficult for her.

"This is obviously an extremely distressing time for her, and not knowing exactly what's happened to her dog has just increased the anguish and the anxiety that she's going through at the moment," Mr May said.

"There's a small minority of the public that's mocking [the owner] because it's a seagull that's taken her dog.

"What they're failing to see is that dogs are part of people's families and this has affected her in a really big way.

"It's not uncommon for something like a bird of prey to attack a pet — it is uncommon in the UK, but anywhere in the world, we have to be vigilant.

"Working in agriculture myself, we've seen the larger varieties of gulls prey on small rabbits, cats and kittens on farms.

"Members of the public everywhere have to be vigilant, especially if they have small pets," Mr May added.

A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds told Devon Live: "This must be extremely upsetting for the dog's owner. Fortunately these types of incidents are very rare and not typical gull behaviour."