Dog theft investigation: Police seize 27 dogs in Essex

Three people have been arrested and 27 dogs seized by police investigating pet thefts.

The dogs - including spaniels, a French bulldog, and a rottweiler - were found at an address on Braintree Road in Dunmow on Thursday, Essex Police said.

The haul included eight puppies police believed "may have been born on site".

A 54-year-old woman and two teenage boys, 14 and 16, arrested on suspicion of theft and animal cruelty have since been released under investigation.

Lurchers and terriers were also among the breeds seized, and PC Glenn Braden said the force had been "carrying out extensive inquiries into recent reports of thefts and this warrant comes as part of that".

PC Braden, from the Uttlesford community policing team, continued: "We are now working to identify the dogs we found at this address and, if stolen, identify their owners so we can return them.

"If you have any information about the theft of a dog then we need you to contact us."

Last month police in Suffolk found 83 dogs that were believed to have been stolen.

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