An owner of a stolen dog has been receiving a series of malicious calls threatening to harm the dog.

Gerald McCarthy, 69, who lives in Croxley Green had his six-year-old Chihuahua called Molly stolen from a communal garden outside his flat in Grove Crescent on March 18.

Concerned about her safety, Mr McCarthy placed posters around the area asking for information about Molly and offering a financial reward for her safe return.

But the flyers, which contained his phone number, were then used maliciously from an unknown caller demanding for money in return for his dog.

Mr McCarthy says the callers have threatened to slit Molly’s throat, and threatened to harm him, if he does not send over money – roughly around £1,000.

According to the owner, the caller kept calling nearly twenty times in one day.

Hertfordshire Constabulary says they do not believe the calls are genuine threats and it may be hoaxes to invoke fear.

It was difficult for the owner to turn his phone off, in case there was a genuine call that could actually help out with Molly’s location.

At the moment, Molly still remains missing and her whereabouts are unknown.

“They’re relentless,” he said. “I can’t put into words how I feel, I had her for three months and she’s seven in 10 days’ time. I was in a bad place when I got her, and she helped me out when I got her.”

He continued: “So this all very sad and a bit of a double whammy really.”

This comes after organisation DogLost has warned of a spike in dog thefts because it is a “low risk and high reward” crime – adding that thieves will sell them on to unsuspecting buyers, hold for a reward, or use them for breeding.

According to the organisation, 151 dogs have been listed as stolen on DogLost from January to March 21 nationwide this year.

Officers are following several lines of enquiry and anyone with information should contact police on the non-emergency number 101 or at herts.police.uk/report quoting reference 41/19477/21.

You can find advice on how to keep your pet safe on the Hertfordshire Constabulary website: https://www.herts.police.uk/news-and-appeals/dog-owners-given-advice-on-keeping-pets-safe-1210