Six puppies recovered after being stolen in violent burglary

Six newborn puppies have been recovered and reunited with their mother after they were stolen from a flat in Manchester during a violent burglary.

An urgent appeal was made by Greater Manchester Police on Saturday, over fears the canines may not survive without their mother.

Later in the day, officers went to a property in Moston, which is three miles away from the dogs' home, and recovered the puppies.

A 40-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary and is in custody for questioning.

The staff-cross puppies are safe and well and have been reunited with their mother, Zena, who is "over the moon" at their return.

The investigation into the raid, which took place on Fernclough Road around 9.30am on Saturday, is still ongoing.

The puppies were taken when two men armed with machetes followed a man into a flat.

The men attacked their victim and left him on the floor with wounds to his forearms and hands which he sustained while trying to defend himself.

They then searched the property for any valuables to steal and after grabbing cash, keys and a phone, they came across a litter of five-week-old Staffordshire cross puppies and their mother.

The puppies were shoved into carrier bags and when Zena tried to defend them, she was hit on the head with a machete by one of the men, causing a deep laceration.

Detective Constable Nick Kershaw of GMP's City of Manchester Division, said: "This has been a fast-paced investigation and I am pleased to be able to say that last night we attended at an address in Moston and recovered all six puppies.

"The puppies are all safe and well, and have been reunited with their mother, Zena, who was absolutely delighted to see them.

"It has been a huge effort from the team to reunite the puppies with their mother before the worst happened. However our investigation is not finished there and we are keen to speak with anyone who can help us.

"If you have information that you think may be of use to us, no matter how big or small, then I would encourage you to please contact the investigation team, or Crimestoppers."