A LEADING lost dog charity has urged dog owners in the Lincolnshire area to be vigilant following the theft of a Rottweiler puppy last week.

A helpline volunteer for Lurcher Search UK revealed that last week a friend from Lincoln had her four month old Rottweiler puppy stolen out of her garden in the morning. The owner had let the dog out in her secure garden – which has six foot high fences and a locked gate - first thing in the morning for a toilet break, then arranged her children’s breakfast. When she went to let the dog back in she discovered that it had gone!

The owner immediately reported the theft to the Police. Luckily, about three hours later a woman contacted the Police to say she'd seen a Rottweiler puppy thrown out of a van about three miles away from where this one was taken.

The puppy turned out to be the same dog and had suffered mild injuries with blood round its muzzle, but had been rejected by the thieves for some reason. When the puppy was returned to its owner, the police officers said that it had been the third such theft that day.

It would appear that dog thieves are targeting Lincoln and the surrounding districts, so dog owners in that area are urged to be extra vigilant.