POLICE are hunting a gang of dog-nappers who stole two lurchers from their owners’ garden in the middle of the night.
The two men were seen leading the dogs down a Hampshire street and putting them in a white pick-up truck which then sped off.
Police are carrying out house-to-house inquiries in the area in a bid to trace the missing pets.
The two lurchers belong to Jay Macleod and his wife Bridget, of Sylvia Crescent, Totton, who fear they were taken for hunting.
Div and Lady slept in a kennel in the couple’s back garden.
Owners Jay and Bridget Macleod
Mr Macleod, 25, said the thieves entered their neighbours’ garden and lifted up one of the removable fence panels between the two properties.
He added: “We put the dogs to bed at 11.30pm and woke up the next morning to find they’d gone.
“A neighbour heard something between 2am and 3am yesterday and a witness saw two men putting them into a white pick-up truck. Unfortunately there’s no CCTV.
“We were gutted when we discovered they had been stolen.”
Mr Macleod said he was using social networking sites to publicise the theft and had also alerted the National Lurcher Association, which will put the details on its website.
It comes just two months after Hampshire was identified as a hotspot for dog thefts.
The couple also had lurcher Lady stolen from their garden
The Country Land and Business Association warned members to be extra vigilant after it was revealed that the county was in the top six in the country for dog thefts last year.
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed that 55 dogs were reported stolen in Hampshire during 2013.
A police spokesman confirmed that officers were investigating the theft: “Two dogs are reported to have been stolen from a garden in Sylvia Crescent between 11pm on October 21 and October 22. Officers are carrying out inquiries in the area, including house-to-house.”
DogLost, a website that reunites missing dogs with their owners, said the growing canine theft problem in Hampshire reflected the national situation.
The organisation dealt with 3,000 stolen dogs across the country last year, 15 per cent up on the previous 12 months.
Call the Totton Safer Neighbour-hood team with details on 101 or ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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