Owner of dog stolen at knifepoint in Cornwall two years ago 'will never give up hope'
Waffle was snatched while on a walk just two days before Christmas back in 2019
The owner of a dog that was stolen at knifepoint in Cornwall two years ago says they will never give up hope.
Waffle was six months old when he was snatched two days before Christmas in 2019, while on a walk in St Austell.
Catherine Hussain was in the Belmont Road area at around 7am on the 23rd December when she was approached by a man holding what she believed to be a knife.
A nationwide appeal and police investigation were launched but there have been no sightings of the Labradoodle since.
Two years on, Catherine says she just wants to bring Waffle home.
She told us: "99.9% of the public have just been incredible, there is always that one percent, but for that 99.9% I just wish them a very merry Christmas, and hope they will continue in our fight to bring him home, one way or another.
"Somewhere, he's there, somebody knows something and somebody is still hiding somebody else's lies. Wherever he is, I just want him home."
Catherine believes she was deliberately targeted because of Waffle's breed.
She fears that with the high prices of puppies through the pandemic, the situation of dog theft could be getting worse.
Figures show that 80 dogs are stolen across Cornwall and Devon every year.
A survey carried out in March 2021 found that over three quarters of owners say it makes them scared to walk their pet.
A total of 17,452 people from Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Dorset responded to the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners' national poll.
Of the 124,729 people who responded to the national online survey an overwhelming majority said dog theft was a "serious problem" and thieves should face stiffer sentences.
Catherine added: "I'll never own another dog again, if he never comes home that's me, I'm done. It'll just be me and my cat that I have. Even if he does come home, will I ever feel safe walking him again? No I won't. I'd join a dog walking group.
"I'm 56 and I don't go anywhere without my panic alarm, I take no shortcuts anymore, two years ago I would have walked down any side alley, I won't do it now. I make sure that where I am I'm fully aware of my surroundings and who is around me. I double lock my door every time I come home, it's crazy how it has affected me."