Can you help find French Bulldog stolen in Gainsborough?

The incident, believed to be isolated, happened at around 9.15pm near to the butchers on Melrose Road in Gainsborough.

The pair said that they had been walking from the direction of Morton Terrace with their cream-coloured French Bulldog when they were approached from behind and told to hand the dog over, with threats to harm them made if they did not comply.

The suspect is described as around 5ft 6 with a stocky build, tanned skin and short dark hair, with an Eastern European accent. He was wearing a short sleeved blue top with white stripes and a face covering.

He took the dog, which had a red tartan lead, and went in the direction of Nelson Street.

DS George Wynn said: “A dog quickly becomes part of the family, and we understand just how distressing it can be for them to be stolen. These circumstances here are even more distressing due to the nature of the how the dog was taken, and we are supporting the victims involved.

“Thankfully, dog thefts remain a rare occurrence for Lincolnshire, but that reassurance makes this incident no less upsetting for those involved.

"We have launched an investigation and our officers will be in the area conducting patrols over the next few days.

"If you know anything about this incident, please come to us with any information you have, no matter how small or insignificant you think it might be. We would rather have all the information we can gather and make a determination on how it could help than risk missing a potentially vital piece of intelligence.

"We will act on information received so that we can hopefully return this beloved pet to its owners and bring those responsible to justice.”

Recorded dog thefts have halved over the last year from 12 incidents to 2019/2020 to just six incidents in 2020/2021.

If you have concerns about dog theft, please contact your local policing team who can provide security advice and reassurance.

To contact the police email link [email protected] and put the reference incident 413 of August 17, in the subject box, call 101, quoting incident 413 of August 17, or

call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.