Pet dog blinded by thieves in burglary

Joanne and Tony Bishop were only out of their Snowdrop Walk home for an hour on Monday lunchtime when the thieves struck.

“I opened the front door and the dog normally comes rushing in, but I heard him barking and thought he might be trapped,” said Joanne.

“We found him in the kitchen distressed and he couldn’t see.”

The two-year-old black and white cockapoo had been sprayed with an acid type substance, according to local vets, and is now receiving treatment with a specialised opthamologist.

He is on eye drops and antibiotics but one eye is ulcerated and there are fears the cornea has been permanently damaged.

The thieves ransacked the property, taking irreplaceable pieces of jewellery and cash.

“It was a right mess,” said Joanne. “They ransacked the house, everything is all over the place.

“Every piece of gold has been taken, the only thing I have left is the wedding ring I was wearing at the time.”

The thieves, who broke in through the back door, stole Joanne’s engagement and eternity ring, as well as a watch she had been given by her grandparents on her 18th birthday and a watch her son had been given on his 16th birthday.

“The stuff that has been taken is irreplaceable,” said Joanne.

“They are memories that we will never get back, but to hurt my dog, that’s dreadful. They could just have shut him in a room!”

The couple had taken a week off work to do some decorating and had just nipped out to the local DIY store when the break-in happened.

“We think we were being watched,” said Joanne.

A police spokesman said they are investigating a burglary that took place in Biggleswade on Monday (March 21).

The break-in happened between 11.40am and 12.25pm at a property in Snowdrop Walk.

Entry was forced through a door and jewellery was stolen.

The owner’s pet dog was also injured in the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 and quote reference number JD/11685/2016.