Owner’s horror as man hits pet pug in attempted snatch
THEY BELIEVE BREED IS VALUABLE TO THIEVES
A DOG owner has been left shaken after a man hit his pet pug and attempted to steal her from his front garden in Orchard Park.
Leon Sam, along with his family members, had noticed a man walking up and down his street several times in a 15 minute period at around 10am on Tuesday, May 31.
Before long, he heard a noise and saw the same man hitting his dog, Zula, and pulling her tail. Leon quickly rushed to confront the man and demanded an explanation.
The man said he was trying to play with the dog but the family were unconvinced when the man still wouldn’t leave.
The incident was reported to the
My dog is a pug and I think that’s what has made her desirable to try and steal
Leon Sam
police but the family were told that because the perpetrator didn’t pick the dog up, he did not commit an offence.
The family are worried Zula was targeted to sell because pugs are an expensive dog breed and they are cautious that the man may return.
Leon said: “We noticed how the man had been walking up and down the street and walked past our property three times within the same 15minute period.
“I was alerted to the situation by hearing the man hit my dog.
“I then went to the window and saw him pulling on her tail, in attempt to snatch her.
“I confronted the man by shouting at him and asking what he was doing.
“He then started to nervously stutter and explained how he was playing with my dog.
“I explained to him how hitting my dog and pulling hard on her tail was not playing with her and I shouted out about how his behaviour was unacceptable.
“At this point, my mum rushed down the stairs to bring the dog in, however, the man didn’t leave straight away, instead he was still stood at the fence trying to get her.”
Zula the pug is five years old and is a big part of Leon’s family.
The family put out a post on social media confirming she is safe and unharmed but warned others to stay vigilant.
Leon said: “My dog is a pug and I think that’s what has made her desirable to try and steal, as they are really expensive and can be bred to make lots of money.
“Personally, I am worried that something like this could happen again.”
The family are concerned the man may return, as they believe he lives locally and has not been apprehended.
This comes as the UK hits a seven-year-high in terms of dog thefts and more than 2,700 pooches were stolen in 2021 alone.
Although West Yorkshire takes the top spot for the most dog thefts, Humberside Police received 120 reports of stolen dogs between 2018 and 2020.
During the pandemic, the demand for dogs increased exponentially, which unfortunately saw puppy prices skyrocket and gangs target dogs to sell on.