A distraught owner is begging the public for information after her two dogs were stolen from her home and later found dead in a builder’s bag tied to a canal in a “barbaric” act.
Sarah Hamblett, 49, first realised her Dogue de Bordeaux crosses were missing from her secure back garden in Wolverhampton on 12 January.
The three-year-old female pups, Nala and Nova, were last seen around 10.30pm.
Friends and family frantically searched the local area.
But despite their distinctive white chest markings and microchips, there were no sightings of the dogs.
My garden is secure, with a bolt on the gate, but when I went to the back door to call them inside just a few minutes later, the gate was wide open and my girls were gone,” she told Need To Know.
“We were desperate to be reunited with our girls but they had just vanished.”
On 17 January, Sarah and her family were told the heartbreaking news.
The dogs had been found dead by a member of the public.
They had been stuffed inside a builder’s bag and tied to the edge of a canal less than a mile from their home.
Tragically, it was later found that the bag had been spotted by the passersby on Monday 13 January.
Sadly, they did not check inside the bag until they saw it again, four days later.
Sarah said: “Whoever did this, they are evil.
“It’s barbaric and they need to be caught.
“I keep having nightmares, imagining what they [my dogs] went through.
“They were alive when they were dumped in the water and that breaks me.
“Why didn’t they just let them go?
“They were big friendly giants and they will never be replaced.
“I will miss them forever.
“Nova didn’t like water; she didn’t even play in water.
“My girls were just big softies.
“Being a bigger breed dog, I trained them to be respectful and sadly they were too trustworthy.
“No owner of any animal should ever have to go through this.
“I hope that I can go to court and face who did this because they deserve to go to prison.”
Since the gruesome discovery, the Wolverhampton-based animal charity, Wings and Paws Rescue has set up a GoFundMe page to raise a £2,000 reward for information.
The page raised £465 in the first 24 hours from shocked animal lovers in the community.
Sarah believes more than one person took her dogs and someone must know something.
She said: “One person on their own couldn’t handle them both, more than one person is responsible for this and I need to know who.”
Clare Vowles, founder of Wings and Paws Rescue, added: “We want to help get justice for Nala and Nova.
“Their family were supporters of the rescue and we are appealing to the public to come forward if you have any information about who did this.
“These girls and their families deserve justice.
“We will find who is responsible for the murder of Nala and Nova and want to ensure they are convicted.
“These dogs were loved and so well cared for by their family.
“They should have been safe in their own garden, instead they were taken and murdered.
“Who does something like that?
“Every donation brings us one step closer to finding the truth and Sarah and I won’t rest until they are found.
“Let’s stand together against this cruelty and let’s make sure Nala and Nova’s story isn’t forgotten.
“Please donate, share, and help us find justice for those sweet girls.
“Please don’t let your dogs out of your sight for a second, not even in your own garden – it’s just not safe for them.”
Both females were neutered but it is unclear if they were stolen for breeding.
RSPCA Inspector, Vicki Taylor, added: “There was no obvious cause of death or injury and they were in good condition It appears they were drowned.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018, quoting incident number 1430157.
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