Callous thieves are caught on CCTV snatching French bulldog from back garden in daylight raid

Callous thieves are caught on CCTV snatching French bulldog from owner’s back garden in daylight raid

  • Thieves snatched 18-month old Maggie from her pen in Bradninch, Devon
  • Owner Chloe Jade is offering a £1,000 reward for the return of the family pet  
  • Police fear the dog may be as far away as Manchester after a red Ford car with a cloned number plate linked to the city was seen driving away from the scene 


This is the moment brazen thieves climbed over a garden fence to snatch a family’s dog.

The three men were caught on a neighbour’s CCTV fleeing with 20-month-old French bulldog Maggie in a quiet residential street in Bradninch, Devon last Thursday.

They can be seen casually strolling up to the house, before two enter the garden through a back gate, out of shot whilst the third skulks around outside and peers over the fence.

They all appear to check out the pen where Maggie is playing before one of them hurriedly beckons to the other two.

They swiftly re-emerge from the garden before one of them flips over the fence, grabs her and passes her to one of the thieves on the other side.

All three then flee from the scene and scuttle away down an alleyway whilst one can be seen clearly clutching Maggie. 

The three thieves casually make a beeline in broad daylight for the home of Chloe Jade, 22, in Bradninch, Devon last Thursday

Maggie’s owner Chloe Jade, 22, told MailOnline the 18-month-old pet was a gift for her two-year old son, Ollie, who is now heartbroken at the dog’s disappearance. 

She said: ‘Someone out there knows where she is. It is breaking my family’s heart to know she might be in danger.

‘We just want her home. All Ollie asks for all day is Maggie. We just want to make sure she’s safe. Ollie keeps asking ‘where’s Maggie?’ and saying ‘Maggie is gone’.

The trio then run away and can be seen clearly clutching the family pet as they scuttle back to towards alleyway they came from

The trio then run away and can be seen clearly clutching the family pet as they scuttle back to towards alleyway they came from

The three are believed to have got into a red Ford car that was waiting for them and was out of shot

The three are believed to have got into a red Ford car that was waiting for them and was out of shot

‘He doesn’t understand too much because he’s only young but he knows that she’s not here.’ 

Chloe, who lives with her boyfriend Charlie Jones, 24, and their other son, one-year-old Albie is offering up to £1,000  for the return of Maggie. 

French bulldogs can fetch up to £2,000 for an adult and £4,000 a puppy, so it is thought that this is the motive behind the theft but Chloe says Maggie is useless to breeders as she is spayed.

Police believe that 18 month-old Maggie could be as far away as Manchester. Owner Chloe is offering a £1,000 reward for the pet's return

Police believe that 18 month-old Maggie could be as far away as Manchester. Owner Chloe is offering a £1,000 reward for the pet’s return

Police now believe Maggie may be as far away as Manchester after a red Ford with cloned plates linked to the city was spotted driving away.

Chloe added that the police have since told her they may have some information but have not disclosed what it is as yet. 

She said she is feeling ‘hopeful’ the family will be reunited with Maggie. 

Dog thefts have risen 270 per cent since the beginning of the pandemic, with only one in five snatched dogs being returned to their owners.

The spike in thefts prompted Home Secretary Priti Patel to launch a Pet Theft Task Force this month to tackle to the problem.

Patel promised to clamp on what she described as a ‘distressing crime’. 

Wayne May, of charity DogLost, said: ‘Dog theft is a huge problem at the moment.

Some police forces take it more seriously than others but it should be uniform across the UK.’