THESE magnificent seven Jack Russell puppies were "dognapped" weeks after they were born. The pups were snatched in broad daylight from a stable block at their owner's farmhouse. Their mother, five-year-old T, is now forlornly wandering around the farmyard looking for her missing brood.

Owners Nick Weeks and his partner Nicky Creed believe the six-week-old dogs, worth around £200 each, were stolen to order and have already been sold on as pets. Nicky, 50, said: "T has been crying and howling - she is in a real awful state. It is horrible because we cannot do anything about it. "I don't have any kids. My animals are like my children so vou r»nonly imagine how it feels to have them stolen." The thieves forced a padlock on the stable door to steal the pups from the farmhouse in Castle Gary, Somerset.

The mother was out with Nick at the time and the alarm was raised when Nicky's brother called at the house and noticed they were missing.

Nicky, a practice manager at Delaware Vets in Castle Gary, and Nick, who is chairman of Castle Cary Town Council, believe the dogs were taken by professional thieves. Nick, also 50, said: "It seems as if they had previous knowledge of them being there. Perhaps they have stolen them to order because nothing else was taken.

"I know that if people have bought these puppies they will be very fond of them and I do not want them back. "We just want to catch the people who have done this so if anyone suspects they might have them please come forward. Whoever did this despicable thing has to be stopped."

The couple were planning to sell the pups to friends and relatives when they were eight weeks old and had already lined up seven buyers.

Pet theft is on the increase across the UK, with 300,000 dogs and cats going missing each year. Somerset is a hot soot, with more pet owners opting for microchipping their animals.