Police are trying to sniff out thieves who stole two dog statues from outside a Bayswater bed-and-breakfast.
Two large stone sculptures of the labradors, which were chained to the railings outside Parkwood Hotel, in Stanhope Place, went 'walkies' last Tuesday.
At around 6.45am, a delivery man saw two white men place the statues in black bin bags, before boarding a bus heading towards Marble Arch.
Gail Thomas, who has worked at Parkwood Hotel for 11 years, said: "Somebody must have seen the dogs and knew they wanted them, it seems very planned as they brought the bin bags. Whoever stole them must have been really strong because the statues were very heavy, and I'm sure someone must have seen the men struggling as they got on the bus with them."
The manager added that since the dogs were stolen, other incidents had happened at the hotel such as smoke alarms going off.
"It's like they were a lucky charm for the hotel, but now the dogs have gone, everything else seems to be going wrong too," she said. "People round here knew us as the hotel with the two dogs outside, but it's really sad for all of us because they're not there any more.
"The dogs were chained to the railings just outside the front door, and they even took the chains too. Nothing like this has ever happened before at Parkwood. It's not really about how much they cost, it's more a sentimental thing."
Anyone with information about this crime should call Westminster police on 020 7321 6510 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
