Family shocked by theft of puppies

Thomas Lyons

A Belturbet family was counting the cost of the theft of two valuable puppies from their home last Friday after an audacious daytime raid. The pet owner, Gunter Freisberg, spoke of the anguish at having his dogs taken and the impact it has had on his family.

Clonosey, Belturbet is a close knit community where neighbours keep a watch out for each other, but such vigilance was not enough to deter the robbers who stole the family's sense of security as well as their animals.

The tranquil rural idyll was broken when thieves entered the front gate of the Freisbergs’ home, parked their cars and in the afternoon sun forced their way into the garage and stole two Kennel Club certified purebred English Bulldogs from the litter of seven pedigree puppies.
The top bloodline prize winning dog can fetch up to €20,000, but the stolen puppies are valued at around €1,500.
A stunned Gunter explained his dismay at the raid: “I am not a breeder. It's not a commercial venture.  It is a hobby, but the puppies are very valuable. This theft has been like a kick in the teeth.
“We had been dropping my son off to a party. We were gone about an hour and a half. When I came back I went to the garage. It was time to feed the puppies again. I opened the front door and realised that the dogs were out in the garage, which normally would not happen. I went over to the pen and I could see straight away that there were two dogs missing.”
Neighbours saw activity at the house while the family were away: “There was a black BMW car seen in the drive - because it was like mine our neighbours did not pay any remarks. It was a young man, and they thought it was our son.”
Gardaí are also looking to speak to the driver of a gold coloured Astra that was seen in the area at the same time. 
“You never think that it will happen to you. Since it happened we are on the alert all the time. If we hear a noise at night we are up straight away. The violation of your property hurts, we are just coming to terms with that violation.”
“The thieves knew what they were about. They took the pick of the litter - the puppies had very strong features. It's very unusual that they only took two. They must have been disturbed or something, otherwise the whole litter would have been gone.”

An option considered by the authorities is that the dogs were 'stolen to order'. 
“It is a possibility. The puppies were due to get their final vaccination and be chipped. Once they are chipped they can be traced. I had a valuable French Bulldog in the yard that was ignored, perhaps they knew she was chipped,” Gunter told the Celt.

Anyone who noticed suspicious activity or may have seen vehicles matching the description on Friday is asked to contact Belturbet or Ballyconnell Garda station. If approached by someone selling English Bulldog puppies you are asked to contact the Gardai. All communication will be treated in the strictest confidence.