Gardaí probe dog thefts

LIMERICK gardaí are investigating a smuggling ring trading in pedigree dogs.

The dogs, mainly bitches, are being stolen for sale at a fair in Cumbria, England, next month.

The Appleby horse fair attracts Travellers and New-Age settlers from all over Britain. While horses are traded at the fair, dogs are also widely sold. Well-bred bitches fetch big prices for breeding.