A HEARTBROKEN dog owner has pleaded for the safe return of pedigree puppies worth more than £10,000 after they were snatched in a daylight raid.
The six British bulldog pups were taken from a house in Edlington - and breeder Sonya Needham fears the dogs were stolen to order.
She said: “We are all absolutely devastated. It’s not the financial side of things that matters, it’s the emotional side and wondering what has happened to them. “If whoever has got them has a heart, they will let us have them back safely.”
The puppies were taken from Mrs Needham’s house in Roberts Road, Edlington, after a window was smashed while the family were out.
Added Sonya, aged 30, who is offering a £2,000 reward for the dogs’ return, said: “Whoever stole them knew exactly what they were looking for. There was a laptop in the same room and the keys to my partner’s van but they left those behind and just went straight for the pups.”
The puppies’ mother Bubbles was left behind by the raiders and Sonya says the burglars could now be trying to cash in on their raid. “We are talking a lot of money here,” she said. “The bitch pups are £1,800 each and the dogs are £1,600 each so it’s more than £10,000 in total - whoever has them knew the cost and what they were doing.”
The six pups - two males and four females - were born on Boxing Day and were due to be sold later this month.
Sonya has spent the last few months bottle-feeding the animals, and one prospective owner had already placed a deposit on one of the pups.
She had nicknamed the pups from markings and size - Titch is the smallest of the dogs, Question Mark has a question-mark shape on its head, two more pups are called Boy Dot and Girl Dot, the biggest of the litter is Biggie, and then Flash has a lightning bolt mark on her face.
Sonya feared the thieves may have been alerted to the pups by photos posted on Facebook, but added: “It has also helped to get the word out there that they are missing. My three children were bawling their eyes out when they came home and realised what had happened.
“I feel emotional too wondering what has happened and I just hope someone out there knows something.
“It was the middle of the day so someone must have seen or heard something.”
Posters have been distributed and Sonya is also contacting vets across the region to see if they can help in the search.
South Yorkshire Police have also joined the hunt for the pups, which are thought to have been stolen between 11.30am and 3.30pm on Sunday.
Officers would like to speak to anyone with information, including anyone who has been approached by someone trying to sell them a bulldog puppy.
Anyone with information should contact South Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting incident 633 of February 10.
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