RCMP officer searching for his canine companion Paddy Cakes

An RCMP officer in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley is looking for his missing partner and beloved four-legged friend, Paddy Cakes.

Const. Seth Thomas's dog went missing last weekend. While out in the woods near Cloud Lake for a run, Paddy Cakes caught scent of a deer and took off.

The area is just south of the military base in Greenwood.

Paddy Cakes isn't a police canine, but a stray Thomas adopted when he was stationed in Whati, N.W.T.

He often saw her in the community and she would come by the detachment and he'd feed her. She was even known to run after his police truck.

"I just ended up putting her inside the truck and she ended up hanging out with me, which is how we became partners, I guess, you could say," Thomas told CBC's Maritime Noon.

He would even take her on calls, where she was a good icebreaker for communicating with residents, who would often ask questions about the dog.

Thomas still takes her out on calls and said he often lends her out for people to take for a walk, noting that Paddy Cakes has been helpful to people with mental-health issues.

Thomas, who is stationed in Middleton, said Paddy Cakes was last spotted in Bloomington and Torbrook.

He said the community has been helping him get the word out about her disappearance through internet posts, by hanging posters and searching for her.

"I'm very grateful for that and I can't thank them enough," said Thomas.

Paddy Cakes weighs about 18 kilograms, is mostly white, but has some black and brown on her back. Her most distinguishing features are her Yoda-like ears, a reference to the Star Wars character, and her eyes, which look as if she's wearing mascara.

Thomas said she responds to her name, as well as two toots of a car horn.

The name Paddy Cakes came about when Thomas heard some children singing the nursery rhyme and he named her that so she'd have a safe name. Thomas said children in northern communities are often afraid of stray dogs.