Rare dog stolen from van outside Bluewater shopping centre

• Watch the full report by ITV Meridian's Kit Bradshaw

The owners of a dog, which was stolen from the front seat of a van in Kent, are urging the thieves to "do the right thing" and hand him back.

Two-year-old Bjorn was snatched from the vehicle while it was parked outside Bluewater shopping centre on Saturday 6th November.

Johanna Kerwien and Michael Fox drove across Europe to pick him up from Sweden and fear they will never see him again. 

Bjorn is a rare Russian Bolonka and suffers from various health conditions, raising fears about his chances of survival. 

He often has difficulty breathing in stressful situations and his owners often have to hand feed him.

They said: "We're so worried he wouldn't be eating or drinking. His health will quickly decline and he won't be worth money to anyone. He's worth everything to us and we just want him back."

The thieves also stole a handbag and laptop from the van during the hour the couple had been gone.

Johanna said: "As soon as we see his little face we just get so happy. Then I go to my side, the passenger side, and the whole window is broken and I just realised what happened."

They'd left the two-year-old pet in the front seat of their van in the car park at Bluewater shopping centre last Saturday. They were gone for just an hour. 

A substantial reward is being offered for Bjorn's safe return and police are appealing for information.