Owners fear dog may have been stolen from their Arlingham home

Thieves may have stolen a much loved family pet to sell her on, her owners fear.

Cocker Spaniel Betty vanished from her Arlingham home last Sunday, and Kate Throup and Adam Turner believe thieves may have snatched her to sell her.

"I am thinking more and more now that someone has picked her up and stolen her," said Kate, 28, who has searched the farm they live on high and low with Adam, 27, and his family.

"I have heard on Facebook that people have been stealing gun dogs, and there was an incident in Frampton-on-Severn recently.

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"It's so out of character for her to go missing."

Arlingham-based kennel Just Paws said on its Facebook page that four men had been disturbed as they tried to get in to a kennel with Spaniels in it on January 24.

Betty is nine months old and although a gun dog breed, she is employed mainly to carry out rat catching duties on the farm.

She has not yet been spayed, said Kate, but she does not wander far from the farm, if at all.

Helen Merrett of Just Paws posted on Facebook: "Keep your doggies locked up and safe. Someone interrupted four very organised men trying to steal their Spaniels from their kennel in Frampton-on-Severn yesterday (January 24), be aware as this is getting increasingly common, both gun dogs being stolen to sell on and pet dogs being stolen for illegal dog fighting.

"Keep them close on walks, don't let them roam too far from you, and keep your doors, cars and gates locked up. Get your pets micro chipped too just in case."

Kate had publicised Betty's disappearance on the Dogs Lost website: http://www.doglost.co.uk/dog-blog.php?dogId=49536 and was planning to inform police.