A THEATRE company is appealing for a breed of dog to appear in the regional amateur premiere of Titanic.

Durham Musical Theatre Company, which is staging the production next month, needs four Pekinese to appear briefly in one of the early scenes boarding the ship with their mistress.

So far, efforts to track down dogs to take on the role have been unsuccessful and the company has now issued a public appeal.

Company spokesman Anthony Smith said: "We need them for the first act, when the passengers are boarding.

"It is recorded that one of the passengers, Mrs Charlotte Drake Cardeza, had four Pekinese. Apparently, there was a huge number of dogs on board the ship.

"We would love to have them to make it look authentic, but if we can't, we will do without.

"If someone out there has four Pekinese, and would be interested in bringing them along, we would be delighted.

As well as seven performances there are a few rehearsals.'' The film Titanic was a big hit, but the stage version, written by Maury Yeston and Peter Stone, was also a hit and had a two-year run on Broadway during which it won five Tony awards.

Anyone who can help is asked to call the company's secretary, Ruth Ball, on 0191386 8227.

The show runs from Tuesday to Saturday, February 21 to 25 at 7.15pm with Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.15pm.

Tickets cost £12 to £15 and are available from the theatre box office on 0191-332 4041.