A family whose beloved British bulldog, Biggie, was stolen from their home were targeted by cruel pranksters who sent them on a 16-hour manhunt after promising to reunite them with their dog.
Nadine Steedman first posted a heartfelt plea for the beloved family pet’s return on Facebook on March 21, the day she realised Biggie had been taken.
The 25kg, two-year-old dog was stolen from the patio of the family home in Gaven on the northern Gold Coast.
Ms Steedman suspects local teens took him with the intention of selling him, but she has since reiterated that he has medical conditions which means he cannot be bred.
‘He’s part of our family,’ Ms Steedman has said countless times since Biggie’s disappearance.
Biggie was taken from the Steedmans backyard and was first believed to be in the Beenleigh area
Ms Steedman’s children have had t-shirts made up as they continue the search for their dog
‘I just want this nightmare to be over for me, my children, my husband and most of all for Biggie. We just built this incredible relationship with him.’
While he is not desexed, Biggie only has one testicle and requires surgery.
Last week, Ms Steedman, her husband and their children were contacted anonymously by a person claiming to know where Biggie is.
The man claimed his cousin had stolen the dog and kept him in a nearby warehouse for almost two months.
The message was not unusual. Ms Steedman has been contacted several times by cruel trolls claiming to know where Biggie is just to taunt her.
But she said this message ‘felt so believable’ because the man was able to provide a name, address, description of the car and personal information.
Nadine Steedman had posted a series of heartbreaking messages about the missing pet in the last three weeks
Bulldogs have become a regular target for dog-nappers because of their high value
The hulking two-year-old bulldog weighs 25kgs and ‘loved cuddles’ with his family
Ms Steedman was put in contact with the man who allegedly stole Biggie through the tipster, but the cousin said he would ‘only talk over Snapchat so that it couldn’t be screenshot’.
At the time, Ms Steedman said she didn’t have a clue what that meant or why it mattered.
In any case, she agreed, and the pair spent ‘hours’ speaking over the social media app before agreeing to meet in a car park and drive to a new location where Biggie was allegedly being held after he was sold the day earlier.
‘As much as my head was saying it’s not right, my heart was desperate for it to be real, so I waited in this car park for hours,’ she said.
When the man failed to show up, Ms Steedman sent him a message only to be told he was 45 minutes away.
Ms Steedman was put in contact with the man who allegedly stole Biggie through the tipster, but the cousin said he would ‘only talk over Snapchat so that it couldn’t be screenshot’
Ms Steedman gets emotional when she thinks about where Biggie is or if he is missing home
‘I was so excited… My mind ran away thinking ”we’re going to get Biggie today”. I let my guard down and envisioned his welcome home. His bath, his dinner, where he would sleep.’
When the time elapsed again, a sense of dread washed over Ms Steedman and she contacted police who have been assisting in trying to track Biggie down.
‘They did some research and eventually I got the phone call that it was all just a joke,’ she said.
Ms Steedman questioned how anybody could be so cruel as to get joy out of causing the family more pain.
Despite all the time that has passed, Ms Steedman and her family are still holding out hope that their 25kg cuddly family pet will be returned to them.
There is a $5,000 reward for information that leads them to Biggie.
‘There is no doubt in our minds that Biggie was targeted,’ Ms Steedman explained.
The day after his disappearance, she noticed public property out the front of her house had been vandalised and later learned this is a way for ‘thieves to communicate about where a dog that is of value may be living’.
Despite all the time that has passed, Ms Steedman and her family are still holding out hope that their 25kg cuddly family pet will be returned to them
There is a $5,000 reward for information that leads them to Biggie
