THEY helped a devastated family struggling to come to terms with the tragic loss of a six-year-old boy.

For the past six weeks two puppies played a small part in filling the huge hole left after the death of young Alfie Norwood-Perkins from suspected meningitis.

Now his parents and sister have appealed for help finding the two cross breed cockapoos which have gone missing.

Little Alfie fell sick in the middle of the night on Easter Monday. Mum and dad La and Greg thought he had picked up a stomach bug that had been going round near their holiday home on the Caribbean island of Antigua. But by 3pm he was dead.

La, the sister of eight times world powerboat champion Steve Curtis, told the Daily Echo: “It was catastrophic. He was sick in the middle of the night and 15 hours later he was dead. We still don’t know what it was.”

No post-mortem was carried out because pipework had been stolen from the mortuary but the family believe he died from bacterial meningitis.

Because another youngster had died in similar circumstances, authorities in the region wanted to ensure there was no epidemic and it took Greg and La almost a month to get Alfie’s body home for his funeral.

A keen sailor, Alfie was a pupil at West Hill Park in Titchfield, near Fareham.

“He was incredibly sporty, a very kind and sweet child,” said his mum.

“He was really good at sailing, very active and loved the outdoors – just a very kind and loving child,” she added.

La and Greg bought their two-year-old daughter Lola the puppies as they tried to come to terms with the loss of Alfie.

Now Scupper and Boom have gone missing from the Perkins’ home in Netley.

Scupper was the name of a dog in one of Alfie’s favourite books.

Empty La, 47, said: “It’s very empty without Alfie in the house but at least we could take her down to feed them and in some way take her mind off it.

“Our lives are shattered. We thought buying the dogs would be a good thing and bring a bit of life into the house.

“I just feel for Lola. She doesn’t understand where her big brother has gone, let alone the dogs.

“It would mean an awful lot to get them back because Lola misses them desperately.”

It is thought the 17-week-old puppies managed to claw their way underneath the garden fence and were last seen along Beach Road, Netley. It is believed a stranger may have picked them up.

• Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the two dogs, a cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle, is asked to contact 07899 955742.