Brazen gang attempt to snatch dogs from Scottish Borders breeding business before being spooked by Cane Corso guard dog

A brazen gang last night attempted to break into a licensed dog breeding business in the Scottish Borders - before being scared off by the owner and his guard dog.

Craig Foggo was at home in Granthouse, Berwickshire, when he heard Rocco the Italian Mastiff (Cane Corso) barking outside at around 8:15pm on Wednesday, causing him to check the CCTV in the car park outside which links up to his mobile phone.

The 44-year-old said: “I just saw two people in my parking area and got up and went outside and shouted ‘oi’ and they fled away. They were about 10 yards away from me.”

Mr Foggo, who has 18 dogs at the site, says two of the intruders were snooping around his yard before fleeing in a getaway car - possibly a light coloured Volkswagen Passat estate - after being spooked.

Footage shows the vehicle was initially parked across the road at a field entrance before moving closer to the property after the suspects appeared to scope it out.

Mr Foggo, who also operates the Star Walkies dog walking and daycare centre in Dunbar, said the pair captured on camera were dressed in tracksuits and hoods and he believes another two people were inside the vehicle.

He said his kennels are locked and alarmed and they hope to soon put up another fence around the perimeter for extra security.

CCTV footage from the incident on Wednesday night has been shared on social media and Mr Foggo is urging other kennel and dog owners to stay vigilant.

Rocco alerted his owner to the intruders on Wednesday night. Video and images: Craig Foggo

Mr Foggo also praised his three-year-old guard dog for alerting him to the intruders last night, and said police are due to visit him today as part of their enquiries.

Police confirmed they were called to a report of car occupants acting suspiciously at the kennels in Duns Road last night. Officers in Berwickshire were also called at 7.30am on Thursday morning following a housebreaking at another premises with kennels – but nothing was stolen there either.

The spokesperson said enquiries into both incidents are at an early stage and the possibility that these incidents were linked is being considered.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription at https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions.