DOG-OWNERS are being warned of suspicious behaviour which could lead to their pets being stolen.

Sussex Police has issued the warning after a man was thought to be acting suspiciously in Brighton earlier this week.

A dog walker contacted The Argus after suspecting that dog mess was planted on her dog’s back as a ruse to snatch it.

Wishing to remain anonymous, she said: “A big guy came running up to me saying, ‘Oh sorry about that.’”

She said she thought it was a ploy because her dog “wouldn’t just roll in it”, and thought the potential snatcher would conceal his moves by trying to brush off the mess.

On Monday, October 27, between 6am and 8am, she was out walking her two Staffordshire Bull Terriers at the Beacon Hill Nature Reserve in Rottingdean.

As she walked, she was aware of a man with a Rottweiler.

He arrived after the woman and got out of a white Transit-style van.

She felt suspicious of the man, though he made no attempt to grab her dogs, he showed a lot of interest in the animals.

She put her dog on a lead and when she left there were two white vans parked in the car park.

She added: “He was planning to steal my dogs by putting his fresh dog mess on them to distract me while trying to clean it but it didn't work because I already knew what he was doing.”

The incident follows an attempted dog snatching at Black Rock in Brighton on October 19, in which the owner had to yank back his dog, Tilly (pictured inset), by its collar to save it from a group of youths working with a van driver. The police were informed.

PC Stu Ellis said: “We are unclear about the man's intention at the nature reserve, however the woman did the right thing by reporting her suspicions to us.

“If anyone has any information please contact us on 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk quoting serial 800 of 27/10.”