Dognappers attack woman from behind and speed off with her dog in van

The woman was pushed to the ground before the men took her 10-year-old rescue dog

A woman was attacked from behind by two dognappers who took her much-loved 10-year-old rescue dog and drove off in a van, a friend said. The 60-year-old woman was walking her Staffordshire bull terrier, Archie, in Tower Hamlets, when she was "violently" pushed to the ground at around 5pm yesterday evening. One of the men then unclipped Archie's lead, picked him up and then put him in the van before the dognappers sped off. The woman was left in pain and upset on the floor, the friend said, as reported by the Mirror. The distraught dog owner spent all night trawling the streets in search of her rescue dog, however Archie is still missing. The woman was reportedly still "shaking violently" 24 hours on from the incident as she was so distressed by the attack and loss of her pet. The dog owner was taking Archie for his usal walk in east London when her dog was snatched from her. https://twitter.com/naturelifeline/status/1389478089936281601 Dog thefts have unfortunately been on the rise throughout the coronavirus pandemic, making dog owners more wary of their surroundings whilst taking their pets out for a walk. Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne, who launched a survey earlier this year into dog theft, said in a statement: "Pet theft, dog theft in particular, is a growing concern for the public and their fear has been perpetuated over the last couple of weeks with shocking reports in the media of more dogs being snatched by criminals." The survey found that over 80,000 dog owners say they are more fearful of taking their pet for a walk in daytime, as reported by the Guardian.