Sad, sad tale with small consolation: When Margaret Atkinson posted an ad to sell chihuahua pups on the web, she gave rather too much information, inducing thieves to drop in on her while she was out.

They stole her two year old black pug Hogarth, her chihuahua Jasmine, and Jasmine's for puppies. "I am absolutely desparately worried about where they are. It feels like someone has taken my children. I'm scared to leave the house. I don't want to leave the place unattended. I'm frightened someone else will come."

A day later, a motorist found Jasper on the roadside. The thieves had dropped one of the pups which managed to survive a day on its own. "He was whimpering and all stressed out," but he's a very lucky fellow, and Mrs. Atkinson just had to count it a blessing to have one of her dogs back home -- a consolation for what's otherwise a horror story.