Record reward offered for missing dog

THE OWNER of a missing dog is still waiting for news, despite offering a £10,000 reward for her return.

Richard Nyman had left Chihuahua/Toy Poodle cross, beth, in the care of his ex-partner’s sister, who also has a dog, while he went on holiday. On June 23rd a door was accidentally left open and both dogs escaped onto the streets of Leyton. Twenty minutes later they were spotted at a small row of shops near Lea Bridge Road. The shops there include a wine bar, a couple of hairdressers, a newsagent and a coffee shop. CCTV coverage in the area, is not good, most businesses there do not have it and the only one found to have CCTV footage of the day in question had already taped over the moment that Beth was seen being carried by a man to a green Nissan car.

Reports from the shop keepers in the area stated that the man was in his mid 40’s and of stocky build. He did not seem to speak English very well and most thought he was probably of eastern European origin. He asked about the dog that had been with Beth moments earlier, and the shop keepers assumed he must be the owner. When last seen the man was handing Beth to a woman sat in the green Nissan before driving off.

Beth is four years old, micro-chipped and had a tag on her collar. She has a slight limp on her left hind leg and has a distinctive habit of barking at other dogs, but only when being exercised on parkland. She is described as having a black, white and grey colour coat. She is a very friendly small dog, who is very desperately missed by her family. Beth needs medication twice a day, so may turn up at a veterinary clinic for treatment.

Despite offering the £10,000 reward, flooding the area with flyers, posters, appearing on London Today and making numerous radio appeals nobody has come forward with any information as to the whereabouts of Beth. Mr Nyman and his family have contacted every vet and rescue in a 30 mile radius and have reported the theft to the police. Both Dog Lost and Dog Theft Action have been informed and have pictures of her available.

When asked by Our Dogs if such a large reward might encourage dog thefts, Margaret Nawrockji of Dog Theft Action commented “The reward is a large amount and several others victims of dog theft have offered similar figures in the past. It shows the commitment many owners have to their pets. The DTA isn’t aware that such a large figure has ever been paid out so we can’t actually say that large rewards encourage dog thefts. We fully appreciate the devastation and frustration felt by the victims of dog theft and we do our level best to offer support wherever possible”.

Mr Nyman told Our Dogs that he has been overwhelmed by the kindness and good wishes from other dog owners. He also reported that he has had some very nasty and malicious calls from people which have been extremely upsetting. If you have any information however small Mr Nyman would really like to hear from you.

Please call Richard 07957 136 253 or Susan 07956 450 430, alternatively email ran@ranuk.com