Pedigree chums!

BEST friends . . . Bentley with owner Laura Pilley and fellow Fitton Hill residents Rebbeca Reeve, Demi McDonald and Anna Brown

Community to the rescue in dog-nap drama
A GRATEFUL dog-owner has thanked the her local community for turning super sleuths and helping to track down her stolen St Bernard.

Laura Pilley (28), from Fitton Hill, was distraught when she realised Bentley, one of her three beloved dogs, had been snatched from her front garden.

The Littlemoor Primary School teacher frantically searched the neighbouring streets, asking local children, youths and neighbours if they had seen her dog-napped pooch.

Helpful neighbours rallied round and, following a three-hour search and detective-like deduction, managed to track the suspect and dog to Ashton bus station — moments before he was set to board a Manchester-bound bus.

Miss Pilley said: “My dogs were in the front garden with the gate closed while I went inside.

“After five minutes Ruby came rushing in making a big fuss and I saw the gate was open and Bentley was missing. I knew immediately he had been taken. They are pedigree dogs and look valuable, but all have been neutered so are no value to anyone.”

Miss Pilley immediately took Ruby out to try and track down a scent.

She approached a group of 14 young people who immediately joined in the search and began knocking on doors. A fellow St Bernard owner took to the back streets with his motorbike pals in search of the stolen dog. Miss Pilley said: “After a two-hour search, a neighbour called to say a man had tried to sell her a St Bernard for £50.

“He said he was trying to sell it because so many people were looking for it and told her he was going to Ashton bus station.

“I rang the police and by the time I got back to my house, a group of children were waiting for me.

“They said they’d seen a man waiting at a bus stop in Ashton Road with a St Bernard who ran off when they questioned him about the dog.”

Miss Pilley jumped into her car with four girls from the estate who directed her to Ashton bus station where they found the man with Bentley just as the Manchester-bound bus pulled in.

She said: “When I saw the man, I read him the riot act, told him he was a disgrace and grabbed Bentley back.

“The man was shocked that I’d tracked him down and ran off.

“I’ve since heard that he’d been seen sneaking round gardens and was spotted picking up a dog.

“The police said they’ve had reports of people stealing valuable dogs and holding them to ransom.”

Miss Pilley said she has managed to thank some of those who helped on the night but wanted to publicly thank everyone in Fitton Hill for their help.

She said: “The response from the community was absolutely fantastic and I’m so grateful to everyone.

“If it wasn’t for the fact that there was such a strong community presence, he would have got on that bus and disappeared.”