Dogs returned to owners after parlour bakkie hijack

Seven dogs have been reunited with their relieved owners after the dog parlour bakkie they were in was stolen near Centurion, Pretoria, according to a report on Tuesday.

Beeld reported that parlour owners Erika and Andre le Grange had loaded seven freshly groomed clients into their company bakkie, just outside their business premises at 2pm on Monday, when two men jumped into the vehicle and drove off.

The Le Granges called a number of local radio stations and asked members of the public to help spread the word.

A tearful Erika le Grange notified all the pet owners concerned about the theft.

"Your children have been stolen," she told the shocked Arnison family, the owners of three of the dogs.

About two hours later, a woman from Mamelodi, who gave her name only as Wendy, spotted the stolen car abandoned in her neighbourhood and called the police, who arrived on the scene within minutes.

The animals were unharmed, and returned to their owners. According to police, the criminals stole only a GPS device from the car.