Watch as masked man armed with hammer breaks into home to steal miniature dachshund

• CCTV video released by Essex Police shows Twiglet trying to escape.

A video showing a masked man armed with a hammer stealing a miniature dachshund has been released by police in an effort to catch the dognapper.

Essex Police are appealing for help to find 16-month-old Twiglet who was stolen from her home in Catmere End, Saffron Walden on Wednesday.

The video shows the man, wearing a high-viz jacket and a black face mask, entering through a back door.

The dog panics, trying to get away from the intruder but he grabs her and wrestles the terrified, crying dog to the ground before picking her up and making off with her.

At one point he clamps the dog's jaws shut to stop her from barking.

The young dog belongs to a vet who works at Mercer and Hughes, who have shared a photograph of Twiglet on their social media pages, urging people to check doorbell cameras for anything suspicious.

On Facebook, Mercer and Hughes posted: "One of our vets has had her young dog stolen from her home in the Saffron Walden/ Littlebury area!

"Please share and make her too hot to handle! She is microchipped!"

Det Insp Jamie Stirland at Essex Police said: "This burglary has been incredibly distressing for the victims and as the public can imagine, they just want to see the safe return of Twiglet.

"Thefts such as these are rare and we are taking this investigation seriously and carrying out multiple enquiries, including reviewing CCTV in the area.

"We are appealing to anyone who may have any information to contact us and assist with this investigation.

"I am also directly appealing to the man in this video, asking him to return Twiglet safely."

Anyone with information is urged to contact Essex Police on 101.

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