A family have spoken of their ‘heartache and shock’ after one of their prized dogs was found dead in a canal after they believe she was stolen from their home.

The American Bullies, named Tyson and Chanelle, vanished in the middle of the night of Tuesday, July 25, from an address on Notre Dame Gardens in Blackburn.

Thanks to an appeal, Tyson was recovered quickly but pregnant Chanelle had been missing for a week.

On Tuesday this week, owner Zubair Iqbal was alerted by someone walking near to the canal at Asda Blackburn.

He said: “I got a call from someone who works at Asda and they said they think that my dog was in the water.

“We hurried over and could see it was most likely Chanelle.

“It was not the news we were hoping for.

“We did try the local emergency services as we wanted to try and get her out of the water.

“Then my friend Lee just jumped in and managed to pull her to the side.

“He had been looking for the dog all week and just acted.”

Asian Image:

Chanelle was sadly found in the canal near Asda.

Zubair said they later gave the beloved pet a burial.

The father of three said: “It has been a very stressful week for the whole family and the children have been very upset and have been crying.

“It is very upsetting that someone would take the dog in the first place and we were hoping it would be found or returned to us.

“Tyson, our other dog, can sense that something is wrong.”

Asian Image: The American Bullies, named Tyson and Chanel were stolen in the middle of the night

Zubair says the theft of the animals took place late at night and, in CCTV footage, a man can be seen checking cars and then approaches a gate to the house.

He said: “It appears to have happened overnight, at around 2am."

The American bullies are said to be worth around £4,000 each and the family had them for more than a year. Chanelle was 18 months of age.

Zubair said he contacted the police but was told there was nothing they could do and feels he had to attempt an investigation himself.

He added; “I have been searching for Chanelle myself and someone must know who did this.”