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A pregnant Pug has been stolen from her owners’ home and they fear she may die if she is not returned.

The family of Dotty the Pug from Tredegar in Blaenau Gwent are desperately appealing for help after it is thought she was taken from their garden on November 20.

Dotty, who is heavily pregnant, cannot give birth naturally due to a medical condition and must have a cesarean section.

But her owners fear that due to stress, an early labour could put both her and her puppies in danger.

Kathyrn Evans, 37, said her mother let Dotty into the secured back garden with two other dogs when she went missing.

It is thought she disappeared at around 8am from the Feeder Bank area in a yard surrounded by a high wall.

The mother-of-two said: “It was less than five minutes that she was out.

“First of all we thought the gate must have been open but there hasn’t been a single sighting of her. She’s so pregnant she can hardly move and she’s so slow.”

Dotty, who is two years old, was originally hand-reared by the family after she was the only surviving puppy from her litter.

Her owner said: “We’re all worried sick about her. At first we were worried about her being in the cold and rain but now we want to know if she’s being looked after.”

“She’s been hand-reared since she was a couple of hours old.”

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A spokeswoman for Gwent Police said: "We received a report of a theft of a dog which is thought to have taken place around 8.10am on Monday 20 November.

"The dog was left outside in a garden with the gate shut and when the owner checked on the dog ten minutes later, the gate was open and the dog was gone, thought to be stolen.

"The dog is a fawn coloured pug and is valued at around £1,000. If anyone has any information about this theft, please call 101 quoting log 413 20/11/17."

A reward has been offered for Dotty’s safe return. Anyone with information is asked to call 01495 726 674 or 07970 782 672.