(Credit: https://www.yourdog.co.uk/)
A woman in her 50s suffered serious bruising and cuts to her knees after a white van driver pulled her out of her car window.
The driver approached the victim’s car on Waterthorpe Gateway near Crystal Peaks shopping centre at 2pm on Friday and after pulling up in front of the woman at a junction, he threatened her when she refused to hand over her Lhasa Apso.
The man who is believed to be in his 40s got back into his van and fled the scene after dragging her out of the car by her hair.
Detective Sergeant Matt Penn, said: “This is naturally a really concerning incident and I know it has caused some distress in the community after details were shared on social media.”
Police are looking at CCTV of the scene and have begun enquiries into the incident.
One Sheffield resident said on Facebook: “The best way to police a community is to walk around it, people don’t feel protected, preferably with a couple of police dogs!”
Another wrote: “This is getting out of hand now. Women will be too scared to go out alone with their beloved dogs.”
There has been an increase in reported dog thefts across the country and this is often linked to organised crime groups according to Detective Chief Inspector Jamie Henderson.
He said: “Stolen pedigree breeds can sell for thousands of pounds, and with more people working at the moment the demand for dogs has increased.”
Police have urged dog owners to be wary when out with their dogs and to contact them, the Local Authority’s Dog Warden service and local vets and rescue centres if they believe their dog has been stolen.
Police have described the man as 5ft 8 inches tall and of a large build and have said he was last seen wearing stonewash jeans and a grey v-neck top.
Anyone with information should call 101 and quote crime reference number 14/31351/21.
