A Hatfield mum is warning dog owners to keep them safe amid fears someone may have tried to steal her beloved pet.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: Natasha Major.Natasha Major. (Image: Archant)

Natasha Major’s mum was woken up at 6am this morning in her home in Birchwood after hearing her daughter’s Pomeranian barking “mentally”.

The 52-year-old went down to her front door to discover a young man attempting to pick up the five-year-old pooch, who seemed distressed.

The man was white, about 18 years old and riding an electric scooter. He was wearing a yellow high-vis jacket and had dark hair.

He told her he was trying to return her dog.

Natasha said: “My mum was quite shaken.”

Earlier that morning Natasha’s mum had let the dog into the back garden and then went and sat on her sofa in the kitchen where she drifted off until she heard the barking.

• MORE: Dog thefts on the rise in Welwyn Hatfield and Potters Bar

The pair went into the back garden to see how the dog had got out to discover that the latch at the top of the tall garden gate had been undone and the “extremely” heavy plant pot behind the gate had been pushed over.

Natasha added: “There is no way a tiny dog could unlock that gate and then push over a plant pot that heavy.

“I think the person tried to steal him, but as my dog is quite feisty, they couldn’t get him.”

The owner of Runway No1, situated in Hatfield Town Centre, wanted to warn other dog owners to keep their pooches safe.

She said: “This seems to be happening a lot lately so please be careful.”

The incident has been reported to the police.