Dog owners warned to be "extra vigilant" after report of stolen pet outside West Yorkshire shop

At around 4.30pm on January 18, police in Outwood, Wakefield, received a report that his dog - which had been tied up outside a Co-op store - had been stolen as he shopped.

Police said there were a number of witnesses at the scene and enquiries were ongoing into the incident.

However, they reminded dog owners to be "extra vigilant" whilst out and about and "avoid leaving your dog outside on its own".

Police said it only takes "a minute" for this type of theft to take place.

The force said it had seen a "sharp rise in the number of dogs being stolen across the Wakefield district".

In a social media post, West Yorkshire Police said: "We just wanted to make you aware of an incident that took place outside the Co-op in Outwood yesterday evening.

"At around 16:30 on the 18th January, we received a report from a member of the public that had tied his dog up outside of the store whilst they went in to get their shopping. Upon exiting the store they discovered that their dog was no longer tied up where it was left and it had in fact been stolen.

"There were a number of witnesses at the scene and enquiries are ongoing, but we want to take this opportunity to remind all dog owners to be extra vigilant whilst out and about. If you can avoid leaving your dog outside on its own, then we would strongly advise this where possible. It only takes a minute for this type of offence to take place and the heartache caused as a result is often unbearable for the families involved.

"Over recent months the costs of buying a dog have increased rapidly and alongside this increase in value, we have seen a sharp rise in the number of dogs being stolen across the Wakefield district.

"PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE be extra vigilant and report any suspicious activities on 101 or 999 (in an emergency)."