A dog breeder has been left devastated after a four-week old puppy was stolen from her back garden.

Amy Scott, who runs Scotty’s Dogs from her home in East Barnet Road, Barnet, with her family, says the tiny black labradoodle was taken at around 11.15am yesterday.

The 22-year-old had been tending to the ten newborns, who have not yet been named, and they fell asleep huddled next to their mother, Bonnie.

Miss Scott went inside to prepare their lunch and when she returned to where she had left the dogs, she noticed one was missing.

She said: “I thought I was losing my mind. I kept recounting because I knew there had been ten in the litter and kept looking around. I was confused at first.

“I took Bonnie out with me to see if we could catch his scent or hear any crying but there was no trace of him. He was gone.

“I assume people were watching me because we’ve got quite a low fence in our back garden. They must have been in and out in three minutes. There’s no way he could have got out alone.”

After a frantic search which lasted around 25 minutes, she called the police when she realised the dog had been stolen.

The theft is all the more distressing for Miss Scott, who only authorises the sale of a dog after she has met a potential owner four times and has microchipped them to track their progress.

She added: “Puppies aren’t allowed to be separated from their mothers until they are eight weeks old so he must be distraught. He will survive but he won’t be a happy or healthy puppy.

“I hope he’s not being used for dog-fighting or has been sold. I’ve been scouring through websites but to no avail.

“I’m upset. I had a little bit of a breakdown yesterday, it’s just horrible.”

Have you seen the puppy? E-mail aslater@london.newsquest.co.uk