Dogsey

A woman walking her three dogs on a public footpath had two of them 'dognapped' by the owners of a riding school after she refused to put them all on leads.

Emma Heslop was walking her pets in the countryside when she was approached by Mark Firby who was concerned about his horses in the field crossed by the path.

Miss Heslop's Hungarian wirehaired vizsla Drummer was on a lead while another vizsla, Oscar, and her English springer spaniel Isla were walking to heel.

The 35-year-old nurse said Mr Firby - who owned the land surrounding the public right of way - demanded that she put Oscar and Isla on leads and threatened to shoot them when she refused.

His wife Michelle then arrived in a Land Rover and, according to Miss Heslop, got into a struggle with her over Drummer. Mr Firby, meanwhile, bundled Isla into the couple's 4x4.

Miss Heslop, worried about the springer spaniel, said she let go of Drummer to walk over to the vehicle to check on Isla - at which point Mrs Firby walked off out of sight with the vizsla.

She said the dogs had not been worrying any horses and the 'dognappying' had been aggressive and unnecessary.

'There had been horses in the field further up but my dogs were under complete control and we had already passed the horses, ... I prefer to have the dogs off their lead so they can easily escape if the horses attempt to trample on them and injure me in the process.. It was a bizarre experience and the law states that as long as the dogs are under control I had done nothing wrong.'