A dog owner nearly had his pet pooch stolen whilst out for a walk in Perth, sparking calls for residents to be vigilant.
The man was walking his dog in Jeanfield Park in Letham last Wednesday evening, when he was approached by an opportunist thief who unclipped the canine, named Luna, from its lead and attempted to flee.
However, the perturbed pooch managed to break free from the crook’s clutches and ran back to its owner.
Following the shocking incident, a post from the dog owner was shared on social media by local dog welfare charity Missing Pets Perth and Kinross.
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The post read: “I just took Luna out for a wee run at Jeanfield Park and someone has took her lead in an attempt to steal her.
“This happened at roughly 6.40pm. If it wasn’t for her sprinting back to me when I shouted she would have been his.
“He was wearing black Adidas trackies, white scruffy trainers, and a black hoodie with gloves.
“I have reported this to the police so if anyone has seen anything please let me know so I can update them.”
Dog owners in Perth are now being warned to be on the look out while out for walks, even suggesting to tell friends and family their route beforehand.
Katie McCandless-Thomas, from Missing Dogs and Dog Friendly Perthshire, said: “It is shocking, I am speechless because you don’t think something like that is going to happen so close to home.
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“The dog owner is quite shaken up and understandably angry as well because it has given him a bit of a fright.
“Having someone take your dog is a legitimate concern for many and now there may be someone still out there planning to do something like this.
“If people are concerned, they could try walking some place where they know there will be other people about like a public park.
“For those who don’t have that option they could give a friend or a family member an idea of where they are going on a walk.
“People should not let their dog off the lead in an unknown, dark area and try and keep their dogs close to them.”
The charity is also urging all dog owners to make sure their pets are microchipped and the information is up-to-date.
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Police Scotland were called following the incident, with officers attending shortly after.
A spokesman for the national force said: “Police were called at around 7pm on Wednesday, July 1 following the report of an attempted dog theft in Jeanfield Park, Perth.
“After speaking with the complainer, no criminality was established.”
