This Morning fans in tears and ‘scared to take their dogs out’ after pensioner is beaten and robbed of his pet

THIS Morning fans were left in tears and “scared to take their dogs out” after pensioner Mike Jasper’s beloved Sprocker Spaniel Ted was stolen from him after an attack in a South London park last month.

Mr. Jasper’s daughter Lucinda appeared on the ITV show today to urge viewers for information – with the heartbroken family offering a £5,000 reward for the pooch.

Mr. Jasper, 66, was approached when walking Ted on Cannon Hill Common, near Morden, and felt uneasy as he was asked a series of questions about his pet.

As he started to walk away, a second man punched Mr. Jasper in the back and pushed him to the floor, with the two men laughing as they grabbed Ted and ran away.

Lucinda, 28, told how her retired police officer dad bought Ted three years ago to help him battle depression and anxiety.

She explained to This Morning hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary: “My dad’s suffered from depression and anxiety for the last four years, Ted has really helped with bringing him back from a very dark place.

“Sadly, this has just completely destroyed all of that – he’s suffering from PTSD, he’s not leaving the house, he can’t talk to anyone and he’s in a really dark place at the moment.”

She added: “He retired early due to his mental health and after a year my mum suggested they get a new dog and Ted was an absolutely amazing support dog for him.

“He was the happiest dog you will ever meet, they were very much inseparable.”

Discussing what happened on the day Ted was taken, Lucinda continued: “My dad took him for a walk, it was a very busy, usual place for people to walk their dogs and he got to a part of the woods when a man approached him and started asking lots of questions.

“He asked what breed Ted was, how old he was, had he been done – at which point my dad was worried so pulled Ted over and put the lead on him.

“The man actually then laughed and said: ‘What? Do you think I’m going to steal your dog?’ at which point another man came up behind him, punched him in the lower back, shoved him to the ground, and then stood on his hand so he had to let go of the lead.

“Both men ran off laughing, my dad was absolutely devastated.”

She confirmed that there have been no sightings so far, although a stranger did return Ted’s collar after finding it on the common.

Host Dermot then gave an impassioned plea for whoever has Ted to return him, telling them it’s “not your dog”.

He later continued: “If you know anything about the dog, if you have the dog, if you bought it in good faith – or even not – do the right thing and return it.”

Fans at home broke down in tears over the scary story, flocking to Twitter to share their reaction.

One devastated viewer wrote: “Well, that story just absolutely broke me, and scares me to take my own dog out alone! I hope those utter scumbags are found and the key thrown away.”

Another added: “OMG howling. The poor man who had Ted stolen. I cannot imagine. Giving my two a big hug today.

“What is the world coming to when you can’t walk your dog safely?”

A third shared: “In floods of tears about Ted the missing dog and Lucinda’s dad. Devastating.”

One more echoed: “Listening to this story this morning- it broke my heart! Hope that Ted can be found #BringTedhome”.

Mr. Jasper paid £600 for the dog in 2018, but it is thought he’d now be worth around £3,000 after prices of dogs shot up during the coronavirus pandemic due to increased demand.

The dog-snatchers were described as two white males in their late 20s, between 5ft 10in and 5ft 11in, with Mr. Jasper previously sharing: “I never thought anything like this would happen to me.

“I’ve always been able to take care of myself and I never believed someone would be able to do this. I just keep thinking ‘no this can’t have happened. Ted can’t be gone.”

A police spokesperson added: “Police were called on Thursday, 15 December 2020 at 10:00hrs, to a reported robbery on Cannon Hill Lane.

“Upon police arrival, officers found a victim who reported that his dog had been stolen.

“The victim had been approached by a male who was asking questions about his dog and was then pushed from behind by a second suspect and his dog, a white, light brown Spaniel, with darker brown ears, was stolen.”