Little boy devastated after knife-wielding dog-napper stole his beloved puppy

A 4-year-old boy has been left distraught after his beloved pet pooch was dog-napped by a knife-wielding thief. Emma Clavering pulled up in a car with her children just as the burglar was carrying her son Alfie's Neapolitan mastiff puppy Rampage out of the family's front door at 7pm last Friday in Johnson Fold, Bolton, Greater Manchester. She tried to stop the thief as he climbed into a waiting getaway car but backed off when she saw the weapon.



Mrs Clavering said: "Alfie was screaming on the driveway afterwards 'I want my doggie'. He is devastated by it. They were inseparable - Rampage is his new best friend." The puppy is 12 weeks old and was bought for £1,500 from a family friend four weeks ago because Alfie wanted a dog. Rampage, registered with the Kennel Club under the birth name Ribble Princess, was purchased from a breeder who has sold only two other Neapolitan mastiffs in the Bolton area.



Mrs Clavering, 30, said Rampage had been travelling with the family in the car every trip until she had to start leaving him behind at home after he received routine puppy inoculations. She said: "As I got home, I saw a guy carrying the dog out of our house. He was walking straight out of our front door. I had to leave my kids in the car and ran across the road and tried to confront the man. He had a knife and he said 'I wouldn't do that if I were you'.



"He had a guy waiting for him in a blue Toyota Aygo across the road. You could tell the driver was uncomfortable being there. The man threw the dog on the back seat, jumped in the car and they drove off. It was all done in a flash. I can't believe it happened. I wasn't scared. The adrenaline kicked in." The thief was stockily built, between 5ft 7in and 5ft 9in, wearing a grey Nike top and boasting stubble and a local accent. The theft has been reported to the police who are investigating.