A little boy was left devastated when his pet puppy was snatched from the street as it waited for him to return home from school.

Friendly border terrier Jimmy was waiting for five-year-old Jack Roberts when he was bundled into a car and driven away by thieves.

Neighbours of the Roberts family saw three white men aged 18 to 25 snatch the eight-month-old dog as he waited on Lindon Avenue in Thornbury. Jack's aunt, Sheree Fearnley said the theft, which took place between 1pm and 2pm on September 23, had left Jack and his brother Daniel, eight, heartbroken.

"Jimmy and his brother Roly were given to Jack and Daniel as pets.

"The garden gate was left open, and Jimmy would go and sit on Lindon Avenue to wait for Jack to get home from school. Roly would never go out, and ironically it is Roly who had been fitted with a microchip, Jimmy hadn't," she said.

Mrs Fearnley said neighbours had alerted the boys' mother, Jackie Roberts, to Jimmy's theft.

"They said the lads in the car got out and tried to entice Jimmy, then before they knew it he was in the back of the car," she said. Mrs Fearnley said incidents of pedigree dog snatching in Thornbury were known to be high.

"Over the last few weeks there have been a lot of reports of dogs getting pinched," she said. "There have been posters looking for an alsation and another for a Rottweiller.

"It seems funny that no mongrel-type dogs have gone missing, just pedigree dogs," she said.

Mrs Fearnley said despite the family's search for Jimmy by contacting the RSPCA, police and putting up posters, there had so far been no sign of the pup's return.

Jimmy is described as black and tan with a white ring around his tail.

Miss Roberts said: "Even if we don't find Jimmy, I'd like to let other people know about the risks.

"People need to be alert and get their dogs micro-chipped. I don't want what happened to Jimmy to happen to other people's dogs."

He looks older than puppy age and he is taller than the average border terrier. The RSPCA recommended all pet owners have their animals micro-chipped. A spokesman said: "If your dog strays, gets lost or stolen, it can be returned to you more easily and ownership disputes can be easily settled.

"Most animals from cats and horses to tortoises can be micro-chipped painlessly."

Police said investigations into the theft were underway. Anyone with information can contact Jackie Roberts on (01274) 662501.