Victim of attempted knife-point pet robbery in Biggleswade speaks out: 'It's disgusting - a dog is your family member'

The victim of an attempted knife-point robbery is warning other Biggleswade dog walkers to be vigilant after fleeing two brazen robbers last week.

The pet-owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, was walking his 16-week-old puppy down Chew Meadow on May 4 at 9.30pm when he was approached by two young males who attempted to take his pet.

The victim fled the scene and the two would-be robbers gave chase, but luckily the dog owner escaped the lads down an alleyway.

He told the Chronicle: "I was just walking the dog and having a cigarette, - well, trying to walk her. She's about 16 weeks old, she doesn't really walk very far! She loves all the different smells and what not.

"I was walking down towards Furzenhall Road and a kid just came out of the bush; he was probably about five and a half foot, if that.

"He was just asking me about my dog, and then another lad came out of nowhere. He was obviously with him but I didn't see him.

"Then [one said]: 'Give me your dog now!'"

The victim told the Chronicle that the first lad he encountered pulled a knife, which he describes as being two or three inches long.

The victim claimed: "I kicked one of them and ran away. I sprinted down the road with the dog in my arms. One was on a bike and one was on an electric scooter. They started to chase after me through my estate.

"They were shouting and screaming but I wasn't really listening - I was more focused on getting away.

"She [the dog] didn't know what was going on, and we just lost them through an alleyway."

The victim describes the first male as being mixed race and no older than 18, wearing a black tracksuit. He rode a red mountain bike.

The second male is described as being white, no older than 18, and also about five and a half foot. He was wearing a dark grey tracksuit and rode a black electric scooter.

The victim added: "I just thought, I'm going to get hurt or my dog is going to get stolen, it's an instant reaction to try and get away.

"It's just disgusting. A dog isn't just a pet, they're your family member as well. Just be careful when you go out at night.

"Thank you to Bedfordshire Police and their community support officers, too. They have been really helpful throughout it all and had a really quick response. I have the utmost respect for them."

Detective Inspector Ian Holden, from our Crime Investigation Team, said: “We know the huge emotional distress that dog thefts can cause for the victims, with these crimes often perpetrated by organised crime gangs looking to make money.

“We take these reports really seriously and have rescued a number of dogs as part of operations that we have led, as well as working with other forces to reunite Bedfordshire victims with dogs recovered across the country.

“We have also worked with Crimestoppers to offer rewards to help us track down suspects in the most serious cases.

“There are a number of steps you can take to protect your pets, while we work with a range of different organisations to raise awareness as well as running schemes like Dog Watch.

“You can find out more information on our website.”

If you have any information that can help officers investigate this incident please use the police's online reporting tool or call 101 quoting 40/22261/21.

If you would like to remain anonymous please call crime stoppers on 0800 555 111.