Two young girls have bee praised for foiling potential dog thieves after spotting and removing secret signs left around their neighbourhood.
The two girls are believed to have stopped a gang of dog thieves targeting an area for pets to steal.
Police have previously warned householders to be wary of secret signs left outside their homes.
It has been reported that thieves use signs - such as circles, crosses and other shapes - to signify a home that could be a good target for theft.
The signs can signify vulnerable residents, high-value targets, security measures and dogs.
Now two 10-year-old girls are said to have spotted signs left behind by potential thieves, and removed them.
The girls cut dozens of ties and ruined the crook's plans (Image: Dublin Live)
The girls, named by Dublin Live as Sophie and best friend Danielle, found dozens of zip ties left on different gates and bins around their estate.
It comes after Sutton in north Dublin has been plagued by a string of dog thefts. After overhearing how the thieves are believed to marl their targets the girls walked around the estate and cut off all the ties they could find.
Mum Sarah wrote on Facebook: “Sophie and Danielle just cut these zip ties off the bins in the estate this morning!! Watch your pets."
Thieves are targeting popular expensive breeds such as cocker spaniels and French bulldogs.
Jack Russell, cockapoos and labradors are also thought to be among the most popular.
DogsLost, a group reuniting missing pups with their owners, had 48 reports of stolen pets from March 23 to June 1, compared to 29 last year, the Mail Online reports.
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