Missing British bulldog puppy is found hanged with wire noose outside ‘devastated’ owner’s home after being stolen days earlier by burglars
- Wilma the 12-week-old British bulldog was stolen from her Lancashire home
- Burglars stole the £4,000 dog, a Mercedes and £40 in cash during the raid
- Gemma Knowles said burglars kicked their way into her home stealing Wilma
- Police confirmed Wilma’s body was found hanging from a fence at the house
- WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT
A missing puppy was found hanged outside its owner’s house just days after being stolen by sadistic burglars.
Gemma Knowles launched an appeal to find her puppy Wilma, who was taken during a break-in to her family home.
However, the mother-of-three was left heartbroken after discovering the British bulldog’s corpse hanging in her garden earlier today.
Gemma Knowles, right, and her partner Andrew Bolland, left, had appealed for the safe return of 12-week-old British bulldog puppy Wilma who had joined their family three weeks earlier
The 12-week-old puppy had been left for dead hanging from a gate post outside the family home. The family’s Mercedes was found abandoned in a nearby estate
Cruel robbers had trapped 12-week-old Wilma in a wire noose and left the body tied to the family’s garden gate.
Ms Knowles, 31, and her partner Andrew Bolland, 36, attempted to revive the pet through mouth to mouth – but their efforts were in vain.
The couple’s three children, Penelope, two, Josh, 10, and Dominic, 13, are said to be so shaken by the news they don’t want to live in their home anymore.
Ms Knowles said: ‘We’re all absolutely devastated. We’re heartbroken.
‘We’d only had Wilma for three weeks – we bought her because the kids had been begging for years for a puppy.
‘I just can’t believe somebody would do this to us.
Ms Knowles said she and her partner had attempted mouth-to-mouth
‘The kids were so scared and so upset – my son doesn’t even want to be here in the house anymore.’
Ms Knowles said the burglars broke into her home by breaking down the back door shortly after she left for work on Tuesday morning.
They stole the family Mercedes and £40 of her son’s pocket money along with Wilma.
The car has since been found dumped on a nearby estate.
Teaching assistant Ms Knowles, of Darwen, Lancashire, believes the dog was stolen due to its street value of around £4,000.
She thinks robbers must have been scared by the attention surrounding her Facebook post which attracted 550 shares.
‘This is a nice area and nothing like this has ever happened while I’ve been here.
‘There is no reason for anybody to do this to us – we’re a quiet family, we keep ourselves to ourselves really.
‘I think they must have taken the puppy to sell for cash but then got scared off by the attention on social media.’
Police were called to the scene and are said to be investigating the incident.
A Lancashire Constabulary spokesman said: ‘We were called at 7.48am this morning to reports a puppy had been found dead outside an address on Cranberry Lane, Darwen.
‘The dog, an English bulldog called Wilma, was found on the ground. She had been secured to the gate with a makeshift lead.
‘The puppy had been stolen during a burglary at the property on March 19.
‘Our thoughts are with Wilma’s owners at this distressing time.
‘Enquiries are ongoing.’