Two dogs snatched from a Highland village may have actually been stolen three months ago.
Police are investigating after the American Bully style dogs were taken from the Gairloch area at about 7.10pm last night.
But now it has emerged the two might be from a litter of five three-month-old pups that were stolen from Cambridge on May 25.
A social media campaign has been running to find the five dogs, with the owners – and their followers – turning detective and seemingly tracing the culprits to Scotland.
Now it is feared the offer of a cash reward may have prompted someone to take action.
Police have said that the Gairloch theft appears to have been “targeted” and that they are looking into all lines of inquiry.
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.
Investigation into ‘targeted attack’ ongoing
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.
Owners of the missing Cambridge litter insisted they had nothing to do with the incident, and are desperately waiting for an update from officers.
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 about the dogs is urged to call 101, quoting incident 3101 of 30 August, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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