A Laxey woman has been left in shock after the attempted theft of her dog.

Jade Woodward’s husband Paul prevented a man and a woman from taking Lexi, a three-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier bitch, from their garden.

The incident has been reported to the police.

Mrs Woodward said: ’We leave our back door open so Lexi has access into the yard.

’She never jumps over the gate but likes to sit by it, waiting for people to talk to her. Children, especially, love to stop and pet her.

’Lexi is a purebred bitch who hasn’t been spayed so she’s worth a lot of money.

’A pup would be worth £2,500. I’m reluctant to let her out now. This has frightened me.’

Paul Woodward said he had arrived home from work to see a man hanging around near their property on Tent Road.

The man was later standing on the other side of a low stone wall bordering the Woodwards’ house when Mr Woodward heard noises in the garden and went out to investigate.

He encountered a woman who had let herself in through the gate and was in the yard with Lexi.

’I asked her if I could help her,’ he said, ’and she said did I want her to take the dog? I said, no, it’s my dog, and she left.

’What amazed me was that you don’t expect someone to come into your backyard, especially if there’s a dog about.’

He said the woman was white, in her 60s, with grey hair and the man was wearing black jeans and a black hoodie.

Mrs Woodward said: ’We’ve been to the police and they advised us to make people aware.’

The charity DogLost, which helps the victims of dog theft, has reported a 170% increase in cases in the UK, where the growing problem has led to the creation of a taskforce including police and campaign groups.

Juana Warburton of the Manx Society for the Protection of Animals has highlighted the issue and says it’s something of which island residents should be aware.

She says the increased demand for people to have a pet in their lives during the pandemic has led to inflated prices for dogs and cats, both in the United Kingdom and in the Isle of Man.

It’s a lucrative opportunity for organised crime groups to co-ordinate pet thefts.

The animals are then sold on the black market which usually involved a credible ’middle man’ posing as a legitimate breeder.

Ms Warburton said: ’My message is aimed more at Manx people who may be taking their pooches to the UK on holiday.

’They should never leave their dogs unattended, or go on the same walking route every day.

’It’s not something we’re aware of in the Isle of Man but it might start to be if the organised crime groups can make it work, as they do with drugs.

’We’re so used to the Isle of Man being a safe place, leaving our cars unlocked when our dogs are in it, leaving our back doors open if we’re in the house.

’We’ll all have to invest in padlocks. It’s a shame.’