Three children and their mum have been left terrified after a man in black appeared at the bottom of their stairs.
Linzi Ball, 41, said she woke at around 4.30am after hearing her dog, Luna, barking in the kitchen.
She said she knew something was wrong immediately and jumped from her bed on Harrogate Road in Rock Ferry, Wirral, to find a masked man in her house.
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Linzi said: "Luna had been in a bed next to a cage where her three eight-week-old puppies slept.
"I could tell something was wrong from the way she was barking.
"I was terrified when I saw a man at the bottom of the stairs and there were more men outside."
Thinking of her three boys, Leo, 10, Loki, seven, and Elijah, four, who had been in bed sleeping, Linzi said she panicked and everything became a "bit of a blur".
After calling the police and searching the house she found two of her French Bulldog puppies had been stolen from their bed next to Luna.
She said: "I couldn't see if the man had been carrying anything - I just panicked. My children are now petrified.
"They took two of the three puppies, which have just had their first injections and been microchipped.
"I know that if those puppies are taken to a vet they will be flagged as stolen, but my worry is that they won't be looked after properly and may never be taken to a vet."
Merseyside Police confirmed they are now investigating, a spokesperson said: "At around 4.45am on Sunday, October 31 officers were called to a report of a burglary on Harrogate Road in Rock Ferry.
"A man forced entry into the house and stole two French Bulldog puppies from the address.
"CCTV footage and witness enquiries are currently being carried out."
Detective Inspector Darren Taylor said: "We understand the significant psychological impact this kind of incident can have on pet owners, who often treat their pets like family members.
“Thankfully dog theft offences remain relatively low across Merseyside and our robust and targeted initiative Operation Castle has seen burglaries fall across Merseyside over the last three years.
“Working with partners and within our communities, we work proactively to help prevent burglaries from occurring, with increased patrols on the streets of burglary hotspots, and messaging to help residents protect themselves from being a victim of burglary.
“We act on all information given to us, and we encourage anyone who saw this incident take place in the early hours of Sunday morning or the man involved to report it to us and tell us anything you know, in confidence, to help us bring the offenders to justice and reunite this family with their dogs."
If you have any information on this theft, please contact Merseyside Police social media desk on Twitter @MerPolCC or via their Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ with any information, with reference 21000756275.
You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.
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