'Please bring our dog Bess back to us'

A DOG lover has been left distraught after forgetting her pet was outside a city centre supermarket – then finding someone else had claimed it.

Jackie Bruce left three-year-old Bess tied to a lamppost on Rose Street while buying groceries with son William, eight, from Sainsbury's at St Andrew Square.

Mrs Bruce – who was rushing home on Monday to cook for her mum's 71st birthday – forgot to untie Bess, and jumped in a taxi home with William. When she realised she dashed back, to find a stranger had taken Bess.

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Mrs Bruce said she was at a loss as to why anyone would take the dog, and her family – husband Rob, 43, and children Mary, 14, Walter, 12, and William – were "devastated".

Mrs Bruce, 42, said: "When we came out of Sainsbury's I had lots of bags and I was thinking about cooking dinner, and it was already five o'clock. We got in a taxi and went home to Leith.

"When I got home I realised we had forgotten the dog and my sister Susan drove me back but there was no sign of Bess. I just had this sinking feeling.

"The children are absolutely devastated, as am I. We're all really upset, we couldn't even eat the birthday meal. We really loved the dog and the kids were so fond of her. They were in tears, they're just utterly miserable."

A street cleaner had noticed that Bess had been left alone for some time and asked the manager of the store to make an announcement to find her owner. A passerby claimed to be Bess's owner and walked off with her. He has been described as white, bald and wearing a long black coat.

The family have had Bess, a labrador-terrier cross, since she was around six months old, and are offering a reward for her safe return. Bess is microchipped and was wearing a red rope lead with a broken catch and a red collar. She is black and medium-sized.

A police spokesman said they are looking for a man in his early thirties, 6ft tall, well-built and wearing a dark coat and jeans.

Anyone with information can also contact Mrs Bruce on 0131-554 8960.

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