The crime of animal theft continues to be a problem, after the shocking and heart-breaking story of an owner who had his dog ‘Ted’ taken away from him by 2 men.
On Tuesday 15th December 09:50 at Cannon Hill Common, owner ‘Michael’ was walking Ted in the middle of the common, until 2 masked men approached the owner. Michael described one of these men as a ‘white man about 5’11 in height, 23-25 years of age, he had black hair wearing beige cargo trousers, a black puffer jacket, a black baseball cap and a green camouflage face mask’.
‘He’s a nice dog. How old is he?’
in a London accent. Michael recalls this man acting strangely and ‘out of place’ in the Common, both him and his clothing. He then repeated what he had said before, in his London accent
‘how old is he?’
before bending down and calling Ted over to him. Michael called Ted back to him, to which the man aggressively says
‘what are you doing? I ain’t going to nick your fu***ng dog’.
Michael remembers himself putting the lead over Ted’s head, until he is once again interrogated by the man who repeats,
‘I ain’t going to fu***ng nick him’, to which Michael is hit in the back, putting his hands out to save himself. A second man stepped forward and they both ran away laughing with Ted at their side, with the first man shouting ‘sweet’ running into the direction of Common Lake and Cannon Hill Lane.
Michael doesn’t exactly remember what the second man looked like but described him as ‘white, aged about 25-30 years, 5’10 and stockily built. He wore green camo trousers, a black hoodie with the hood up and was either bald or had a shaved head.’
Michael says that there were no other people around the time of the robbery, and no other people in the area the men had ran into. PC Davis reported the crime, recording it as a ‘robbery’ where police investigations are now taking place to find justice for the shameful actions of the 2 men.
Ted was a Sprocker Spaniel, bought in May 2018 by a dog breeder in Hampshire. Michael describes the effects Ted had on his life as ‘life changing’ with his mental health drastically improving after a period of bad mental health. Michael calls Ted his ‘constant companion’, where he was able to visit the park 3 times a day and start talking to people again. It is unseen how pets are able to emotionally support their owners and turn around the lives of people. Michael is worried that he ‘will fall back into these dark times’ if Ted is not by his side anymore. He desperately wants him back.
Michael recalls the community being ‘amazing and supportive’, helping in sharing posters both physically and on various social media sites. Some of these include:
Facebook- get Ted Home page
Animal Search UK
Battersea Cats & Dogs Home
Merton Dog Warden
National Pet Register
Pets Located.com
Next Door
Family and volunteers have put posters in areas including Raynes Park, Morden, New Malden, Phipps Bridge, parks and green spaces in Wimbledon, Battersea and Clapham Common.
I urge you or whoever is reading to visit these sites to learn more information and aid in the search of Ted to bring him back home. We have all had a difficult year but if we are to learn anything from it, it is about unifying and supporting each other. This can be done by clicking on any of these sites and aiding in the search of Ted.
