A DOG owner who believes her beloved family pet may have been snatched has offered a £500 reward for its safe return.

A DOG owner who believes her beloved family pet may have been snatched has offered a £500 reward for its safe return.

It comes after police in Suffolk warned owners to be on their guard following an increase in thefts of valuable pedigree dogs.

Anna Patrick's seven-year-old Weimaraner bitch, Nala, went missing while playing in her field at Mill Hill Farm, Hitcham, on July 27.

After hearing of several other pedigree dogs in the area going missing within a short space of time she resorted to offering the 'no questions asked' reward in a desperate effort to see her much-loved pet returned.

Mrs Patrick said: “She is a family dog, and the children are missing her a lot.

“We all are - it is horrible and people without dogs don't always understand how much the loss of one can affect a family.

“She had a false pregnancy and so could have looked pregnant.

“Thieves that target pedigree dogs would have known that in that condition she would be very valuable.”

Mrs Patrick even went as far as consulting a psychic, who told her the dog may be in the Essex area close to London - so she plans to travel to Basildon to continue the search.

She said: “We think it is very likely she was stolen. We live close to a main road so it would have been easy to get her in a car.

“If she had just wandered off then the likelihood is she would have been spotted by now.”

On July 8, two Jack Russells went missing from nearby Polstead. And in Ash Bocking, an eight-month old springer spaniel bitch vanished from its owner's garden on July 6.

The spate of disappearances prompted police to issue a warning via the Police Direct system.

It read: “Suffolk Police believe that their may be a dog snatcher in the area. These dogs have been stolen from gardens and farms.

“Please be aware of this. Keep your dog on a lead if possible and do try not to leave it unattended in your garden. If you know the whereabouts of any of these dogs of have any information, please contact Hadleigh Police on 01473 613500.”

Anyone who has any information about the missing Weimaraner belonging to Mrs Patrick can contact her directly on 07968 108519, or 01449 741357.

Has your pet gone missing under mysterious circumstances? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk