Boy threatened at knife-point for dog (From This Is Local London)

Boy threatened at knife-point for dog

6:21am Sunday 11th March 2007

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A TEENAGER who suffers from epilepsy was left shocked and traumatised after being robbed at knife-point for his Staffordshire bull terrier in what is becoming a growing trend.

The 17-year-old boy was walking his dog, Del Boy, just yards from his Cricklewood home, when two men jumped on him and threatened him with a knife. The men took the dog and drove off in a white van, where a third younger man was waiting.

Police figures show instances of dog-thefts are increasing year on year. Pedigree Staffordshire bull terrier puppies, such as the one stolen, are worth up to £500 on the open market and are the number one target for dog thieves.

The boy's father, John Saunders, 67, said his son was hysterical' when he returned to their home in Prayle Grove after the incident, which happened at about 8.30pm last Wednesday.

"It frightened the life out of him," said Mr Saunders. "He had only been gone ten minutes when two men got out of the van. The next minute they grabbed the dog and threatened him.

"He is really distressed. He doesn't go out much. That's why I got him the dog - to give him some company."

Mr Saunders believes the thieves had been watching his son and may have seen him regularly walking his placid dog' on their estate. He said his son described the two men as aged between 30 to 35 and scruffy-looking'.

The teenager, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, has launched an appeal for the return of his pet, putting up posters across the borough.

The attack comes after a recent report by the Metropolitan Police showed 25 dogs were stolen in Barnet between April 2005 and April 2006 - twice as many as in the previous 12 months. It is a trend echoed across London.

Pedigree Staffordshire bull terriers accounted for half of all 417 dogs taken in London last year, the figures show. They are said often to be stolen to be used as guard dogs or for fighting.

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said: "Those figures don't surprise me at all judging by the amount of calls we have been getting from people whose dogs have been stolen."

"We have heard of dogs being taken by people who then demand money for their return."

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