Dog thefts: Nottinghamshire Police appoint officer to investigate amid rising cases iwradio.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iwradio.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Like Lady Gaga, I know the heartbreak of dog theft
Fuelled by increased demand during the pandemic, thieves are targeting our pets – as Melissa Cole found out the hard way
The singer has offered a $500,000 reward for the return of her French bulldogs
Credit: UNPIXS
The shocking news this week that Lady Gaga’s dog walker was shot as two of her French bulldogs were stolen will be seen by some as an ‘American problem’ or even a celebrity story. But the incident highlights a pandemic-fuelled wave of violent dog thefts and assaults on both sides of the Atlantic. By the end of 2020, dog theft in the UK had skyrocketed by 250 per cent amid increased demand for canine company during lockdowns.
Retired police officer Mike Jasper was walking through his local park with his spaniel cross, Ted, one morning last month when two men wearing facemasks approached him and started to ask questions about his beloved four-year-old pet.
Feeling uncomfortable, 66-year-old Mike started to walk away, only to find himself pushed to the ground while one of the men forced the lead from his hand and made off with Ted.
Mike has not seen him since.
The theft out of the blue, in broad daylight, and in a South London park crowded with walkers and joggers has left him devastated.
‘He is still in shock,’ his daughter Lucinda Jasper, 28, told the Mail.
Crime gangs are turning to puppy theft as it s easier than dealing drugs belfastlive.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from belfastlive.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Dog walkers are increasingly being targeted by violent criminals intent on stealing their high value pets to sell on for profit.
Demand for dogs has soared during the pandemic and police saw thefts increase by two thirds in the first lockdown.
But it is the increasingly violent nature of some of these crimes that is causing added concern.
Mike Jasper was walking his sprocker spaniel Ted when he was approached by a man who started questioning him about the animal.
He was then assaulted and his beloved pet was stolen. Advertisement Image: Ted the sprocker spaniel was stolen from Cannon Hill Common in south London