A DISTRAUGHT dog owner is desperate to recover her beloved pet after it was snatched from under the nose of a community officer.
Maria Freire tied up her collie-terrier cross outside Wilkinsons, in West Ealing Broadway, while she went shopping on Monday, April 19.
But when the 38-year-old, of West Ealing, looked through the shop window to check on her four-year-old dog, it had disappeared.
She said: "I came outside and asked the police community support officer who was there if she'd seen my dog and she had.
"She said a Somalian woman dressed in western clothes, a Somalian man on crutches and another man took her.
"She said they looked a bit suspicious and a bit nervous as they untied him from the lamppost, but she didn't stop them.
"My dog was given to me when I was ill and she helped me get through it. She means the world to me and I'd do anything to get her back. I've been roaming the streets since she was taken, I don't know what else to do to find her."
The dog has four white paws and a white tip to her tail. She always has one ear up and one ear down. Ms Freire has asked that we don't name the dog.
A police spokesman said: "A comprehensive search of the area was conducted when we received a report, and a description of the missing pet has been circulated among local police officers.
"We urge members of the public not to leave any personal belongings or pets unattended as a large number of thefts are opportunistic and can be prevented."
Ms Friere will pay a small reward to anyone who finds her dog.
Anyone who discovers her should call the Elthorne Safer Neighbourhood Team on 020 7161 9174 or Ealing Dog Warden on 020 8825 6000.
