11:52am Tuesday 23rd February 2010
By Emma Cruces
THIEVES broke into an animal sanctuary and stole an aged greyhound.
Milo was taken on Thursday night when thieves broke into the dog kennels at Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary, Edenfield.
Staff at the sanctuary were said to be distraught following the theft – the fourth time in four years that a dog has been stolen from the centre.
Past break-ins have always targeted bull breed type dogs, which have each been found following appeals.
Milo was discovered wandering in the area just days after he was stolen, by two supporters of the sanctuary.
Bleakholt manager Neil Martin said though animals can be adopted at the centre for a donation towards their medical fees, thefts occur when people want to sell on valuable dogs without paying the £95 donation towards the money spent by the charity on vet bills.
He said: “Milo had only been with us for a fortnight and had endeared himself to everyone who met him or cared for him.
“Milo isn’t actually valuable but may have been mistaken for a dog who could be sold into the racing circuit.
"In his early years, he was a racing greyhound but when he became too slow he was luckier than many in that he wasn’t put to sleep.
“Instead he found his way into being a domestic pet through Bleakholt.
"Recently his adopters found that they could not keep him any more so he came back to us to be found a new home.”
The theft was caught on CCTV and sanctuary staff said that police visited several addresses but no leads to Milo materialised.
Milo was later found wandering in the Greenmount area.
Mr Martin added: “I would like to extend a warm thank you to the two Bleakholt supporters who returned Milo.
"Very often the reason our services are required is because of people who neglect or abuse animals.
"But we also meet fantastic people like Susanne Johnson and Mr Morgan who restore our faith in human nature.”
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