A distraught family is offering a £1,000 reward after thieves stolen a 60-year-old TORTOISE.
Dino the Hermann’s tortoise was stolen in a brazen robbery of its family home as part of a series of three thefts from their house.
Kevin Jennings, 59, has had the tortoise in his family since it was an egg and said that he would do anything to get the adorable reptile back.
He said: “We’re all absolutely heart-broken, who in the world would steal someone’s pet, it just doesn’t make sense.
“My son is more upset than anyone else, he’s never know life without a tortoise, so it’s horrible for him.”
Wife Debbie Jennings, 55, was given Dino by her auntie-Jean 30 years ago, and is a treasured member of the Jennings family.
Kevin, who is a mentor for people facing mental challenges, said: “He was just in his box in the garden, because he was getting ready for hibernation.
“We’d had guests around on the Saturday night and so we didn’t bring Dino in- it just happened that the one night we didn’t bring him in, those crackheads came into our garden.
“My wife went into the garden on the Sunday morning to check on Dino and she saw that our back gate was had been left open by the people who must have robbed us.
“It’s not uncommon, break-ins and that around here, they robbed my tool shed a couple of weeks before, but the fact that they came back for Dino is unbelievable.
“They even came back again the next day and emptied out one of our recycled bags would you believe it, and filled it up with the food and booze from our freezer!
“It’s been traumatic and we’re all devastated, but more than anything, all we want is to have Dino home.
“I haven’t told any of the grand-kids yet- I’ve told them that he’s gone into hibernation- so now I have six months to get Dino back!
“We’ve all rustled up a thousand pounds together between us- we just really want our Dino back.”
Dino, who is approximately 10-11 inches head to tail, and six inches in width, is named after The Flinstones’ own loveable dinosaur.
Kevin said: “We’re really worried that whoever’s taken him isn’t going to know how to look after him, he’s a funny little chap and really likes frozen peas- how are they going to know that?”
Son Tom, who is a guitarist and singer, has posted a video on of Dino on Facebook as part of his appeal to get the tortoise back.
The video has been viewed over 3,200 times and the family say that they are touched by the community’s overwhelming support.
Kevin said: “I’m so grateful to everyone for their reaction and for sharing the appeal, I just really want to have our pet back home.”
The traumatised family say that Dino was taken between 2.30am and 8am on Sunday, October 15th from their home in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire.
Kevin said: “Dino is incredible, he’ll nibble at your toes and hump your foot if you’re in brown shoes, we’re totally lost without him.”
