Video has been released of the moment a masked man with a hammer broke into a home and stole a miniature dachshund dog in Essex.
Essex Police are appealing for help in an effort to locate 16-month-old Twiglet, and return her to her owners.
The puppy was stolen from her home in Catmere End in Saffron Walden at around 3pm on Wednesday.
The distressing video captures the moment the intruder, who was wearing a black face mask and high-visibility jacket, made off with the animal.
Essex PoliceAfter the man entered, burglar alarms sounded and the dog began to bark and panic.
The intruder appeared to grab the crying dog and wrestled her to the ground before picking her up and making off with her.
At one point he appeared to clamp the creature’s jaws shut to stop her barking.
Detective inspector Jamie Stirland said: “This burglary has been incredibly distressing for the victims and, as the public can imagine, they just want to see the safe return of Twiglet.
“Thefts such as these are rare and we are taking this investigation seriously and carrying out multiple inquiries, including reviewing CCTV in the area.
“We are appealing to anyone who may have any information to contact us and assist with this investigation.
“I am also directly appealing to the man in this video, asking him to return Twiglet safely.”
No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.
Anyone with information such as relevant CCTV or dashcam footage can contact Essex Police on 101 or report it online, quoting incident 739 of July 26.
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