Four puppies stolen at knifepoint after masked robbers force their way into flat in Sheffield
FOUR puppies were stolen at knifepoint after masked robbers forced their way into a flat in Sheffield.
Detectives are appealing for information after the four-week old mongrel pups were taken from an apartment in the Smelter Wood Road area of the city last week.
Two masked robbers entered the property at 6.30pm on February 22 while the owner of the puppies was asleep, police said.
When he confronted them, the thieves threatened him with a knife before leaving the flat with the pups.
No one was injured during the incident, South Yorkshire Police confirmed.
The Force is urging anyone with information on the whereabouts of the four pups to come forward.
It comes just days after a dognapper gang dragged a woman out of her car by her hair as they attempted to steal her pup in Sheffield.
A van driver got out of his vehicle, approached her car and demanded she hand over her dog - a Lhasa Apso.
Dog theft has soared during lockdown, with recent stats showing that ten pups are stolen every day.
Pedigree pups can fetch up to £3,500 on the black market as breeders struggle to keep up with demand.
The value of chow chows, dachshunds, pugs and bulldogs is said to be up 75 per cent since March, with the price of a pug almost doubling from £684 to £1,220.
Justine Quirk, from charity Dog Lost, told The Sun: “If you steal one pedigree dog you’re looking at making upwards of £3,000 — far more than the price of a phone or the sort of money people carry in their wallet.”
Most read in News
Criminals have even been posing as RSPCA officers in an attempt to steal pets.
Anyone with information on the puppy theft in Sheffield should call South Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting crime reference number 14/33654/21.
