A dozen border collie puppies and a breeding dog have been stolen from a farm in Hampshire.
Employees at Parsonage Farm, Bramshaw, discovered that the dogs were missing after returning from lambing on Tuesday morning.
A group of seven people were allegedly seen walking around the farm yard at around 1.40am after breaking into a number of farm buildings in search of farm machinery, Hampshire Police said in a statement.
They then stole the dogs before fleeing the scene.
In a statement, Hampshire Police appealed to the public to be aware of any cut-price border collie puppies for sale online.
"We appreciate that these events will have a significant impact on the local rural community and we are asking anyone who may have seen anything suspicious or perhaps caught any people or vehicles in the vicinity on CCTV to come forward", police said.
"It is likely that these puppies will be sold via online websites and platforms, so we are asking residents to be aware in case they see a litter of Border Collie puppies being advertised locally at a cut-down price."
Anyone with information has been asked to contact 101, quoting crime reference number 44220083039.
Dog theft is rapidly on the rise in the UK where cases reached more than 2,000 for the first time last year.
Pet snatching incidents increased by an alarming 39 per cent last year according to the Metropolitan Police.
It means dog theft is the fastest growing crime of its kind in the UK, reports Hull Live.
The nation’s most targeted dog breeds based on previous crimes have now been revealed amid a stark warning to owners to be aware.
These include Staffordshire bull terriers, Chihuahuas and Jack Russells.
French bulldogs and Labradors are also among the top five most targeted breeds.
It comes after the average cost of a puppy more than doubled post-lockdown.
