A man has been reunited with his beloved dog after a hammer-wielding thief stole the pet during a broad daylight walk.
French Bulldog Rocco and his owner Denis McCarthy were out walking in Ballyvolane, Cork on Sunday when a car pulled up and a man armed with a hammer demanded he hand over the pooch.
The horror incident thankfully had a happy ending, with the dog returned to Denis on Sunday evening - and now gardai are searching for the attacker.
Denis said: “We came to the top of the lane and a car drove past. I didn’t pay any attention because it didn’t seem unusual.
“Then I saw it drive in the lane and I just thought they were turning around, but it stopped and a man got out in a high-vis vest.
“He had his hood up and was wearing a facemask.
“He came up and said ‘give me that f*****g dog’ and he’d a hammer in his hand.
“After they left I tried to take a picture of the car and I realised they’d covered up the reg plate with tissue paper.
“The guards came down quickly and asked me quickly was I okay before they sped off looking for them.
“Then another Garda car came along about five minutes later and they stayed with me.
“I live in the area so then my family came up too and were there when the guards were there.
“I asked the guards if I could share it on social media and they told me to do it.
“I got hundreds of messages and 24,000 shares and I can’t thank people enough for it.”
Rocco was returned to Denis on Sunday night by Gardai but he admits that he isn’t certain how they got him back.
Speaking to Neil Prendeville on RedFM today, he added: “The guards arrived back with him at half eleven on Sunday night and I don’t know how they got him back to be honest.
“They wouldn’t tell me how they got him back.”
The hunt is now on for the thief with gardai now investigating.
A garda spokesperson said: “At around 4.30pm a man was out walking his dog when a car pulled up beside him.
“A man exited the car, armed with what is believed to be a hammer, and threatened the man to hand over his dog. The dog was then taken and put in the car, which then left the area.
“The incident was reported to Gardaí and as part of the investigation the dog has since been recovered and returned to the owner.”
They added that no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
