Help needed finding puppy that may have been stolen from Warwickshire home

THE owner of an English bulldog puppy believes he has been stolen after he disappeared from her garden.

Ronnie was only 19 weeks old when he was last seen by Nichola Bradley, who lives in Barford.

When he failed to come back into the house with her other three dogs after being let out after dinner, Nichola was concerned he’d fallen in the River Avon at the bottom of her garden.

She and husband Lee were joined in the search for the dog by fellow villagers – including people with a drone, a thermal imaging camera and a kayak – and every garden shed was checked. But there was no sign of Ronnie.

That was on 19th December and the puppy, if he went into the water, has not surfaced anywhere.

But Nichola doesn’t see how Ronnie could have made it into the river: “There’s trees and bushes, there is so much in the way before he would get to the water. If he’d fallen down the bank he would have just sat there, he wouldn’t have walked into the water.”

Nichola, who works at Warwick Hospital, believes Ronnie was stolen and points to a gap in her fence where panels had been removed.

“Our curtains were shut, which means a person could have gone straight to the gate where Ronnie was and just whipped him up,” she said. “Ronnie wouldn’t have gone out. Someone came in and got him.”

Nichola, who has three children, admits there is no proof of theft – no CCTV or witnesses – but she is extremely worried Ronnie will not get the medical attention he needs.

“Ronnie looks like an expensive dog and I’ve never spoken about his issues on Instagram, so anybody would have thought he’s worth a lot of money and an easy target.”

The pup was the runt of the litter and suffered head trauma after birth, leaving him possibly partially sighted and with neurological issues that affect his balance.

He was to be diagnosed by a specialist, but had been thriving and gaining weight.

“We don’t know what is actually wrong with him,” said Nichola. “The vets have said he’s got a lot of weird stuff about him and he may have some issues with his brain and seizures. He definitely needs his treatment.”

She added: “We just completely doted on him – he was our baby.”

A team of volunteers have been helping Nichola round the clock and an appeal on social media has more than 900 followers.

“I have never met these ladies. They are angels, true heroes,” she said. “The kindness of people never ceases to amaze me and the lengths they go to to help a stranger.”

If you have any information about Ronnie, call Nichola on 07572 428133.

Warwickshire Police said officers were made aware of a report of a suspected theft of a bulldog from a property on Barford Hill in Barford on Saturday, 19th December.

A spokesperson said: “The bulldog is understood to have gone missing between 6pm and 6.30pm.

“Anyone with information can call 101 quoting incident 99 of 20th December.”