Six rare terrier puppies from Shropshire feared stolen
Six rare puppies have gone missing and are believed stolen from a breeder in the county.
Angela Littler noticed the young Sealyham terriers missing from her home in Ellesmere on Saturday night, and is now offering a reward for information that may lead to their return.
There are three male and three female pups, two are white all over while the others have black or brown marks.
Miss Littler said: “It’s very upsetting, they’re lovely dogs with a very good nature.
“Sealyham terriers were very fashionable for the first half of the last century and lots of famous people kept them, but they have all but disappeared and are very rare now.
“We are trying to sort of save the breed.”
The specialist dog publication DogFocus reported the theft, saying: “There is a good chance these puppies have been stolen to order or to fulfill the Christmas market.
“Someone will see them, they may be advertised as ‘terrier type’, it is unlikely they will be advertised as Sealyham as this is such an unusual breed.”
The Sealyham Terrier is a rare Welsh breed of small to medium-sized terrier that originated in Wales as a working dog.
It is principally a white-bodied, rough coated breed, developed in the mid to late 19th century by Captain John Edwardes at Sealyham House, Pembrokeshire.
Following the First World War, it surged in popularity and was associated with Hollywood stars and members of the British Royal Family.
Its numbers have dropped significantly since then, with the breed listed as a vulnerable native breed by the Kennel Club; an all-time low was recorded in 2008 when only 43 puppies were registered in the United Kingdom. This decline has been blamed on an influx of foreign and designer breeds, and the Sealyham’s reduced usefulness as a working dog.
This breed is equally suitable as a family dog or a working terrier, given the right training. It is affected by few breed specific breed disorders, with the only two prevalent conditions being lens luxation and canine degenerative myelopathy.
Anyone with information should contact West Mercia Police on 101, or Angela directly on 01691 622350.
