Thieves have stolen two dogs from Gairloch – grabbing one as it was being walked along a country road.
The two pitbulls were snatched last night in what police believe was a targeted and planned theft.
One dog was taken from an address on the A832 Comarty to Gairloch road and the other while it was being walked on an unnamed road near the entrance to the harbour.
Both dogs are from the same household. One has since been found.
The thefts happened at about 7.10pm yesterday.
Two women were assaulted before the culprits fled in a white Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Police found the car abandoned in Dingwall, and one of the dogs was discovered a short distance away. However, the second is still missing.
The two men responsible are described as being white, in their 20s, with short brown hair. One was wearing a black jumper and shorts, the other was described as being slim.
Detective Inspector Ross Hamill said: “Neither woman suffered any serious injuries during this incident, though they were both left extremely shaken.
“Our investigation is at an early stage but it appears this was targeted attack aimed at stealing these dogs and not a random incident.
“The vehicle is believed to have been driven on the A832 and A835 before it was abandoned in Dingwall so if you have any dash-cam footage from the road on Monday evening then please get in touch.”
Anyone with information is urged to call 101, quoting incident 3101 of 30 August, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.