An urgent appeal has been made for the return of a puppy after it was reportedly stolen 'at knifepoint'.
Patsy, a black labradoodle, was being walked by her owner at around 5pm on Monday, September 6 when they say they were approached by two men on mountain bikes on Leigh Canal Bridge in Wigan.
A Facebook post was shared in hope of the safe return of the dog but the public are being urged not to approach the men if they spot the puppy but instead call the police or council dog warden.
The post said: “Her family is heartbroken. Patsy is only 12 weeks old and will be confused and terrified.
“Please share to make this baby too hot to handle.”
Lesley Sutcliffe commented: “So sorry, how traumatic. When we can’t walk our dogs without being targeted, something is very wrong.
“This massive problem needs to be addressed before people start getting killed.”
D. Canzoneri added: “Praying she comes home soon. Only a demon would steal someone’s pet.”
Patsy is said to be microchipped and her information has already been uploaded to DogLost, a volunteer-run organisation that helps to reunite dogs with their owners by providing ID numbers associated with them.
Owners can then put those into the website’s search engine and see if the details match their pet.
It is also possible to search for any defining information such as breed, sex and region to narrow down results, if the ID number doesn’t match their dog.
If you have any information on Patsy’s whereabouts contact Greater Manchester Police, or call DogLost on 07597394326.
Greater Manchester Police said it had no record of the crime being recorded.
