MACHETE THUGS IN TERROR DOG RAID
Horrified owner David threatened with axe and knife by intruders
MASKED raiders armed with a machete, an axe and a knife threatened a dog owner as they stole his beloved pup.
American “bully” Cairo was torn from his family in a terrifying ordeal.
A DOG-OWNER told of his horror as axe and machetewielding thugs stole his puppy in a terrifying late-night raid.
David Waters answered the door of the home he shares with partner Caitlin Maley at 9.40pm on Wednesday thinking his takeaway had arrived.
But three balaclava-clad thugs stormed the property in Meiklerig Court in Glasgow’s Pollok and threw him to the ground.
David was pinned to the floor by one crook, while another threatened to slash him and a third snatched their nine-weekold American “bully”, Cairo.
The raid comes after a warning from animal charities about a growing trend of designer-dog thefts – as demand for puppies soars during lockdown.
Traumatised David, 20, said: “As I opened the door, the three of them came in with balaclavas on and put an axe to my head, along with a Stanley knife.
“They told me to get on the ground, they had the Stanley knife to my face and told me, ‘Don’t move’.
“Then they went into the living room and grabbed Cairo and ran down the street and turned left and jumped into a car.
“I had no power to do anything and had to watch him get taken off me. It was horrible.”
Carnage broke out while Caitlin, 21, was at work.
When she arrived home to find David shaken and devastated, the pair called police and began a search for the beloved pet they only bought after saving up for months.
Forensics officers arrived at the property to take DNA samples.
Speaking to the Daily Record, distraught Caitlin said the couple have been left feeling ‘“empty” after the attack and are scared in their own home as she pleads for help to get Cairo back.
She said: “We would never have thought people could come into our house with an axe and machete, then steal our dog, maybe harm it.
“It makes me sick. We just want Cairo back.” Caitlin is also warning other dog owners to be wary of what they share online about their pets and believes the attack may have been planned. She said: “David thinks he THREATENED The raiders were armed with an axe and Stanley knife heard people outside our house in the early hours of Wednesday morning, as if they knew we had Cairo.
“We have an Instagram page for him, so maybe people knew about him because of that.”
“There are things in our living room that they could have easily taken but they just grabbed Cairo and left. Dog thefts are happening all the time just now, it’s so unsafe.
“But we could never have predicted this. Dog owners should make sure their houses and gardens are properly secure.”
David suspects envious online followers could be to blame.
He added: “We definitely think
that whoever took him saw that we had him through Instagram and it was through jealousy.”
“We were definitely targeted – it’s not like they could have seen us out on the street because Cairo was too young to go for a walk.”
Cailtin and David are now offering a £3500 reward for the safe return of Cairo.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the reward fund.
Police hunting for the crooks and Cairo are appealing to anyone with information to come forward.
Detective Constable Christopher Sneddon said: “Thankfully nobody has been injured as a result of this incident but the owner has been left evidently shaken.
“We are appealing to anyone who may have noticed three men acting suspicious in the area to come forward and speak to officers.
“If there is anyone who has possible CCTV or dashcam footage that could assist with our enquiries, please get in touch with police.
“I would also ask if anyone is approached about buying a puppy similar to this to get in contact with police.”