“Dog thieves threatened to slit my pet’s throat if I didn’t pay the ransom”

Thugs began calling the dog owner anonymously the day after she made a Facebook call asking if anyone had seen her Jack Russell Yorkshire Terrier mix, Mopsy and Scrappy

Sick thugs have threatened to slit the throat of a woman’s pet dogs if she doesn’t pay ransom for her life.

Katie Shakeshaft’s Jack Russell Yorkshire Terrier mix breeds Mopsy and Scrappy was stolen from her farm in Garswood, near Wigan, last week.

She has since received anonymous phone calls threatening to harm them if she does not pay a £1,000 ransom for her safe return, the reports Manchester evening news.

Terrified, Katie said: “I’m just really worried and I’ve actually gotten to the point now where I’m really angry about it. I just want my dogs back. I’m mentally exhausted and drained from everything. I don’t feel safe at all.

“I received numerous calls from different people. I’ve had people tell me I’ll never see my dogs again or ask for money.

“I’ve been told if I don’t pay £1,000 they will cut their throats and throw them in the canal. It’s absolutely disgusting. It’s causing me so much pain, it’s really worrying.

“We were on the farm all morning taking care of the animals. I put the dogs in a home truck that has a living area while I went shopping with my mom.

“When I came back two hours later, they were both gone.”

She said the threatening calls began after she posted an appeal for a missing dog on Facebook.

The next day, Katie left the farm for a walk to see if she could find the dogs herself, but when she returned some of her boyfriend’s tools had been stolen from the site.

She added: “They must have waited until I left and then they came back to steal something else because I was only gone for like an hour.

They must have seen me leave and then stole a thousand worth of tools. Since then we haven’t left the farm because we are afraid of what will happen next

“I haven’t slept properly in six days. Every sound makes me look around.

“I don’t know if these people calling me are doing it as a prank or not. But it stresses me and annoys me. As far as I know, they might actually have my dogs.”

A Merseyside Police spokesman said: “We were called on Wednesday 13 April to a report of the theft of two dogs in Ashton-in-Makerfield.

“Two Yorkshire Terriers were reported to have been taken from the horse box at a property on Camp Road between 1pm and 3pm.”

“People have been asked to keep an eye out for the tri-colored terrier cross dogs both locally and online. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact DM @MerPolCC or @CrimestoppersUK anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting protocol 349.”