Stolen dog turned up 400 miles away

Man arrested after spate of dog-nappings sparks search

A man has been arrested after a spate of dog thefts in rural Perthshire sparked a nationwide police inquiry.

Four working dogs were taken from their kennels outside two remote properties near Blairgowrie.

A young terrier, which was stolen from a house in Forneth, was found less than 24 hours later at a veterinary practice near Birmingham, nearly 400 miles away.

Police Scotland last night confirmed a 38-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the thefts.

However, families are still anxiously waiting for news of the other three missing dogs.

They are thought to be somewhere in the Kidderminster area, near to where the Jack Russell was recovered.

A force spokesman said that inquiries were ongoing.

A car involved in the theft at Meikleour was found abandoned in a field near Rattray.

Aman has been arrested in connection with a spate of dog thefts in rural Perthshire. It comes after four working dogs were snatched from outside their homes near Blairgowrie.

One of them, a young Jack Russell terrier, was later handed in to vets near Kidderminster, almost 400 miles away.

Detectives leading a nationwide manhunt confirmed last night that a 38-year-old man had been arrested.

However, three of the dogs are still missing and are believed to be in the Worcestershire area.

The Courier revealed yesterday how owner Ally McLaren confronted the alleged thief outside his family home in Meikleour.

He told how the man picked up Mr McLaren’s two-year-old Jack Russell terrier, bundled it into a car and drove off at speed.

Police said the incident was linked to the theft of three more dogs at another remote property in Forneth, just a short drive away.

The car spotted at Meik le our, which The Courier understands was recently bought in Blairgowrie and was uninsured, was later found abandoned in a field near Rattray.

Yesterday afternoon it was confirmed that one of two Jack Russells taken from Forne th had been delivered to a vet sin Bromsgrove, a Worcestershire village about 13 miles south of Birmingham.

Efforts are now being made to reunite the dog with its owner. There was no news of the other three dogs.

Morag McLaren, mother of Ally, said the family was still waiting to hear what had happened to their Jack Russell terrier. She said police were searching for the three remaining dogs around Kidderminster.

Strathtay councillor Grant Laing said the thefts had caused great concern to locals.

“It’s absolutely shocking,” he said. “These properties were just a few minutes from each other, but they are both very remote. It’s not like someone would have been passing and spotted the dogs outside.”

All of the stolen dogs were microchipped.

Local pet owners were warned to stay vigilant and not to leave their dogs outside shops.

The first dog was taken from Mr McLaren’s home at Meikleour at around 9.30am on Tuesday. Video taken by Mr McLaren of a car leaving his property went viral on social media and led to a sighting of the vehicle in a field at Rattray.

Police said the theft of two Jack Russells and a springer spaniel from a hillside home in Forneth was reported at 7.50pm.

“We believe that this incident may be linked to the previous dog theft in Meikleour,” a spokeswoman said.

“Inquiries are ongoing.”

The cases came hours after reports of attempted dog thefts in Aberdeen emerged on social media.

However, police in the north-east dismissed the allegations in a social media post, insisting that “to date, we have received no reports of any stolen animals”.

A Jack Russell terrier was taken from outside its home.

Three other dogs snatched amid the spate of thefts.