Dog thieves are stealing 10 pups a day as they stoop to new lows to snatch pets dailystar.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailystar.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Dog owner warning as criminals target designer pooches to sell for up to £3k
Animal charities have noted an increase in the number of reported dognappings across the UK in recent months as demand for designer puppies shoots up during lockdown
Updated
Lone dog walkers are being targeted by gangs who want to steal their pets (Image: Ceira Fleming)
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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.