Dog owners fear pets may have been stolen

TWO puppies that vanished within a short drive of each other in South Gloucestershire are feared stolen.

Six-month-old terrier cross Floss went missing at 3.30pm on Saturday from outside her Kingswood home.

Just three hours later nine-month-old Lola – a Labrador-poodle cross – bolted from her owner in Staple Hill and despite frantic efforts to find her she too has disappeared without trace.

Sue Herbert, a co-ordinator for Dog Lost, a website that helps owners find their missing pets, said she fears the puppies, which are both micro chipped, are likely to have been stolen – perhaps for breeding purposes.

"Bristol is a very bad dog theft area," she told The Post.

"Stealing dogs is big business. They need to be made too hot to handle so they can't hold onto them and the owners get their dogs back."

Lauren Pinkett, 25, says Floss went missing at 3.30pm on Saturday from the garden of her Kingswood home.

She says neighbours say they saw a woman wearing a long leather jacket and glasses pick up Floss near the telephone box in Holly Hill Road.

She said: "Floss is so friendly and super cute that I worry whoever has her will not bring her back.

"She looks like a teddy bear because she is so fluffy."

Miss Pinkett said Floss is micro chipped and she has advertised her as missing on the Dog Lost website.

"I believe she has been stolen. I can't think straight at the moment. She is my first dog and is only a little puppy.

"I have been out and about putting up posters and handing out leaflets.

"I just hope I get her back."

Mum-of-two Emma Leworthy said Lola disappeared at 6.30pm while she was taking part in the Procession of Light and Colour in Staple Hill.

"There was a brass band and it scared her," Miss Leworthy, 31, said.

"I had picked her up to give her a cuddle but she bolted out of my arms while still wearing her lead."

The loss is a huge blow for the family who got Lola to cheer up children Olivia, nine, and Billy, seven.

"We got Lola to cheer up the children because our last dog died in April and they are devastated.

"As far as I am aware she is roaming the streets or sat in front of a nice warm fire. I think someone might have found her and decided she was so cute they wanted to keep her.

"I am just appealing that if someone does have her could they please return her."

Dog Lost co-ordinator Ms Herbert added: "If they had been taken to a dog warden or vet they would have scanned to see if they were micro chipped as a matter of routine.

"Highways are also good if they are found in the road.

"This makes me think they are with someone, but they do not belong to the people who have them, they belong to the owners.

"If you don't know what has happened to your dog it can be totally destroying.

"A lot of people love their dogs like their kids and not knowing is so sad.

"If they don't know what happened to their dog it can be very difficult for them to move on."

Details of both dogs can be found on the website www.dog lost.co.uk.