A pair of ‘dognappers’ ran away in fright after a botched attempt to steal a Belgian Malinois – a breed often used by police and the military. 

Two men approached five-stone Nellie, and her owner Toby Currier, in Portsmouth last Wednesday. Toby, 19, said one of the men made a fuss of the dog and the other asked questions about her, before making a sudden grab for her lead.

That did not go down well with Nellie, who her owner says is normally ‘gentle’ but bared her teeth at the hapless pair before being restrained. Toby said: ‘Nellie started barking at them and then lunged at the men. She almost grabbed one of them as they had clearly startled her.

‘They got a real fright when they saw how strong she was and ran off down a side road.

‘She’s normally a very gentle, friendly dog but she clearly thought they were either going to attack me or take her.’

Toby, a supermarket worker who also helps find missing people with his pet as a volunteer for Denmead Drone Search and Rescue, labelled the duo ‘pretty dim’. 

He told The Daily Star: ‘Looking back I’m quite pleased that Nellie taught them a lesson and it’s a shame they got away.

‘If these scum try and steal a Belgian Malinois then they will definitely try and take smaller dogs.

‘You have got to be pretty dim to try and steal a dog like Nellie. They are very athletic and are used by the army and police.’

Belgian Malinois are used by the US army as combat dogs in war zones.

It is the latest in a series of dognapping incidents around the UK, which experts fear is fuelled by rising dog prices amid the coronavirus crisis.

A Hampshire Police spokeswoman told the Star: ‘We received a report on Thursday 28 January at 8.13pm of a suspicious incident that took place on Havant Road, Portsmouth, at 6.10pm on Wednesday 27 January.

‘It was reported that two men had engaged in conversation with a member of the public before one of them attempted to take the lead of the person’s dog.

‘The dog was not injured and both men ran away.’

Toby said the would-be dognappers both had face coverings and foreign accents.

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