Heartbroken girl, 12, tells dognappers she will give them all her pocket money if they return her stolen puppy
- Tia Bajalyte’s toy poodle Smaila was stolen from a van in north London in March
- She received the puppy as a surprise birthday present from her parents last year
- Tia said she misses her ‘best friend every day’ in a video message to the thieves
A 12-year-old girl has made a heart-wrenching appeal to the dognappers who stole her puppy, offering to hand over all of her pocket money to get the toy poodle back.
Tia Bajalyte received Smaila as a surprise birthday present last August but she was stolen from her parent’s van just seven months later by crooks who left £400 in cash in exchange for the dog.
Yesterday, on her birthday and the one-year anniversary of receiving the puppy, Tia recorded a video message to the thieves in a bid to get her dog back.
The schoolgirl from Uxbridge, west London said she misses her dog ‘every day’ and had been looking forward to ‘having fun’ with Smaila on her birthday.
She said: ‘This is to the thieves, today is my birthday. And knowing that she is out there but not with me is really difficult.
‘I really wanted to spend my birthday with my dog, having fun, doing really fun things, blowing out candles.
Tia Bajalyte, 12, received toy poodle Smaila as a surprise birthday present last August but the puppy was stolen just seven months later
‘But well that’s not going to happen.
‘And all I want to say is if you stole her for money or for your pleasure, it’s not pleasure to other people.
‘It’s not pleasure to me, it’s not pleasure to all of my family.’
Tia, who lives with her mother Auksine Varlee, 37, and Auksine’s husband Tomas Jagminas, 39, said Smaila had become her ‘best friend’ after her other dog passed away and she just wants to be able to ‘cuddle her again and take her for walks’.
She continued: ‘I really miss her every single day. She was like my little child.
‘And if you are doing it for money, I will give you all of my pocket money, all of it just so I can have my baby back.
‘She was my puppy, I wanted her forever.’
Smaila was stolen in Edmonton, north London in March by thieves driving a silver A Class Mercedes.
Tia’s mother Auksine said they had only left the van unattended for a few minutes.
![The dog was swiped from Tia's parents' van in north London in March by thieves in a silver A Class Mercedes](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/08/26/12/61751847-11148739-image-a-27_1661514504499.jpg)
The dog was swiped from Tia’s parents’ van in north London in March by thieves in a silver A Class Mercedes
![The 12-year-old from Uxbridge, west London offered the thieves all her pocket money in exchange for getting her 'best friend' back](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/08/26/12/61751863-11148739-The_12_year_old_from_Uxbridge_west_London_offered_the_thieves_al-a-25_1661513548679.jpg)
![Tia said Smaila (pictured) was like her child and she just wanted to 'cuddle her again and take her for walks'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/08/26/10/61751861-11148739-image-m-15_1661506636405.jpg)
The 12-year-old from Uxbridge, west London offered the thieves all her pocket money in exchange for getting her ‘best friend’ back
She said: ‘Tia thinks the world of Smaila. We all do, we’re devastated. She’s a massive part of our family and not a day goes by when we don’t think of her.
‘It seems the thieves were only after Smaila.
‘We were only away from the van for a few minutes, but they got in, took her and left £400 cash.
‘Our lives have changed since she was taken and I just hope one day we will get her back.’
MailOnline has approached the Met Police for comment.
![CCTV footage shows the Mercedes driver pulling up alongside a van and looking through the window](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/08/26/12/61755575-11148739-image-a-26_1661514355243.jpg)
CCTV footage shows the Mercedes driver pulling up alongside a van and looking through the window
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk