On our quiet little housing estate in a village in the country on Saturday afternoon an elderly resident was threatened by a dognaper with a knife.

As an collective we are keeping our eyes peeled for any unusual comings or goings on the estate. But how can we help the lady in question re-build her confidence?

Is there anyone she can partner-up with to go out for walks. Hopefully a few weeks of walking without incident will help her see this as an unfortunate isolated incident.

Did they make off with her dog?

We’ve just this weekend had reports of an individual following women walking in the lanes behind our estate. No one has yet been confronted by him, but it’s unclear as to whether they have been followed because they are lone women, or lone women with dogs.

Is there anyone she can partner-up with to go out for walks. Hopefully a few weeks of walking without incident will help her see this as an unfortunate isolated incident.

Did they make off with her dog?

Fortunately not – not sure what ‘value’ the dog would have as it’s about 9 years old with an eye missing.

Airhorn/attack alarm might be a good place to start. Having someone to walk with for a bit also a good idea.