Boy, two, heartbroken as £4,000 Chihuahua is stolen by dognapper posing as bogus dog rescue centre worker
- Sebastian Markowski and his child Leon, two, from London, are devastated
- Read more: Where is your pooch most at risk from dognapping gangs?
A father and son have been left heartbroken after dognappers posing as rescue centre workers hoodwinked them and stole their missing £4,000 dog.
Sebastian Markowski,28, and his son Leon, 2, from London, were devastated when their two-year-old Chihuahua – called Strawberry – vanished on 21 June.
Mr Markowski later got a call to say that their pet, who is pregnant, was then found under a BMW near their home.
The mystery female caller said Strawberry was scared and didn’t like anyone approaching her.
She claimed to be from a made-up rescue centre but failed to turn up to reunite them with the dog who is expecting four pups.
Sebastian Markowski,28, and his son Leon, 2, from London, are devastated after their pet Chihuahua, Strawberry, was stolen by someone posing as a dog rescue worker
Carpenter Sebastian said: ‘Leon cries himself to sleep every night and keeps asking where Strawberry has gone.
‘He’s traumatised, he’s really upset and can’t understand why he’s not getting his cuddles with Strawberry every night.
‘To think someone made up the name of a rescue centre, said they would bring her back home and steal her is unbelievable.
‘This has turned our lives upside down.’
Police officers are now investigating the theft and Sebastian had has 10,000 leaflets printed and distributed to try and find their tiny brown and white dog.
Concerns are growing for her health as Chihuahuas are notorious for having difficult births.
The police force has spoken out about the incident and the ongoing investigation focused on finding Strawberry and returning her to Sebastian and Leon.
Sebastian revealed that Leon, 2, has cried himself to sleep every night wondering where Strawberry is
A Met Police spokesperson said: ‘Police are investigating an allegation of theft after a dog was reportedly stolen after it went missing in the Stoke Newington area on Wednesday, 21 June.
‘Enquiries are ongoing.
‘There have been no arrests.’
Since January 2010, almost 4,000 dogs have been reported stolen in the Greater London area with police managing to return the pets in one in eight cases.
Across the capital, the successful return rate ranges between five per cent in Brent and Sutton to 18 per cent in Richmond upon Thames.
Of the 3,921 dogs taken, 478 have been returned, leaving some 3,443 pets missing in the capital.
The figures, which have been collated by the Greater London Assembly, show the significant problem faced by pet owners in the capital with dogs a constant target for professional gangs.
Nationally, approximately six dogs a day are stolen with just one in four being reunited with their owners.
Victims of this crime in the UK include former BBC Technology correspondent Rory-Cellan Jones as well as the daughter of the late entertainer Bruce Forsyth.
Mr Cellan-Jones’ dog, Cabbage, was one of six which was stolen from a professional dog walker in west London in November 2021.
Police officers are now investigating the theft and Sebastian had has 10,000 leaflets printed and distributed to try and find their tiny brown and white dog
Since lockdown, demand for dogs has increased which has led to pressure on prices and a growth in the interest of Organised Crime Groups seeking to ‘take advantage of the marketplace’.
This has prompted the government to make dognapping a crime in its own right, acknowledging the pain and suffering caused to both the pet and its owners.
Claire Calder, head of public affairs at Dogs Trust said: ‘ Having your beloved pet stolen is an extremely stressful, often heart-breaking experience. For years, Dogs Trust has called for harsher penalties to deter those who profit from this despicable crime.
‘We welcome the proposed measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals Bill) to introduce tougher sentences for those that steal dogs and recognise the emotional impact that this has on their owners.
‘However, the Bill has sadly not progressed for over a year and needs to be urgently brought back or we will miss the opportunity to sufficiently tackle this abhorrent crime.’
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