Six newborn puppies have been reunited with their mother after they were stolen in a violent burglary.
Police had issued an urgent appeal for information on Saturday as it was feared the litter of five-week-old Staffordshire cross puppies would not survive long without their mother.
But on Sunday Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said officers had made an arrest and the six dogs were safe and well and back with their mother, Zena.
A 40-year-old man was held on suspicion of aggravated burglary and remains in custody for questioning.
The pups were taken after two men armed with machetes followed a man into a flat on Fernclough Road in Harpurhey, north Manchester, at around 9.30am on Saturday.
The two began attacking their victim leaving him on the floor with defensive wounds to his forearms and hands, before searching the property, looking for any valuables to steal.
After snatching cash, keys and a phone, they came across the puppies, shoving them into carrier bags and hitting Zena on the face with a machete when she tried to defend her pups.
Detective Constable Nick Kershaw of GMP’s City of Manchester Division, said: “This has been a fast-paced investigation and I am pleased to be able to say that last night, we attended at an address in Moston and recovered all six puppies.
“The puppies are all safe and well, and have been reunited with their mother, Zena, who was absolutely delighted to see them.
“It has been a huge effort from the team to reunite the puppies with their mother before the worst happened, however our investigation is not finished there and we are keen to speak with anyone who can help us.
“If you have information that you think may be of use to us, no matter how big or small, then I would encourage you to please contact the investigation team, or Crimestoppers.”
Anybody with information should contact police on 0161 856 3985, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article