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Updated 10.45am
FOUR MEN HAVE been arrested over the theft of a greyhound in Co Tipperary.
Clares Rocket, which has an estimated stud value of around €1 million, was stolen from the kennels of Irish Derby winning trainer Graham Holland at 1am last Monday.
Speaking to Seán O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio 1 today, Holland described the incident as “a bit of a fairytale – it’s a bit unreal that it’s happened, you think you’re living a bad dream but it’s turned out very well for us”.
The dog is owned by the Full House Syndicate, headed by Joe Cahill.
This morning gardaí confirmed four men were arrested in connection with the incident. Two are being held at Tipperary garda station and two are detained at Clonmel garda station.
A garda spokesperson said Clares Rocket was found “safe and well”.
Holland said that on a good day, Clares Rocket is “probably the fastest dog in Ireland”.
He said that the incident made him think of the infamous Shergar incident, where the prize-winning horse was stolen from Ballymany Stud in 1983.
“I know it’s not the same really but you do think of Shergar and they never recovered him,” said Holland. “Especially when the papers and the media got hold of it, you just fear the worst that whoever stole him would dispose of him and run for the hills. The guards [did] great work and we’re actually delighted.”
Clares Rocket has since arrived home safe and sound, and Holland said he is asleep after being fed a treat following his ordeal.
“Every dog is a special dog but to go through what he’s gone through, it’s just fantastic.”
- Additional reporting by Aoife Barry
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I didn’t steal it, Boss. It follied me home.
Comment of the week
What the hell did they plan to do with this €1million dog? Sell him for parts? They could hardly race or breed him without eyebrows being raised
Ransom
Ransom, the Shergar formula which went wrong.
Ransom more than likely maybe ! Kidnapping !
Shergar was full horse ( stallion ) would have its own handler ! Amateurs could not handler him and was problaby shot by them!
Maybe they did breed it.. Surely considered it if your gonna give him up..
They could have bred him themselves with their own bitches, and potentially had many a world class offspring to train and win for them.
Good too hear it was found safe and well, hate to think where it might have ended up.
@Mick McGuinness: My thoughts exactly Mick
No 6 in China garden . No 45 with fried rice in Sunny delight and no 62 in My Dog Gon takeaway
Good one aiden
They handed him back because one of the owners was very annoyed. They got a text saying ” Harold’s cross ” and they panicked.
The insurance company will be delighted.
It was Dog-ged determination by the Gardai that got fido back! They should be showing Ruff justice .
Get out
Rough justice
Leave Gerry alone his bark is worse then his bite
Stop hounding Gerry, I’m sure he has a tail to tell.
Stop snapping at me! Just paws for a moment please!
Sit!
Reminds me of Chris the sheep in father Ted.story sounds a bit hooky
@dick dastardly: Sure one of the thieves was wearing a crown!
and a well known gangland boss arrested red-handed in the car with the dog. Seriously well played by the Garda ERU.
“Merrrrrrrry Christmas….. everyone!”
When shergar was kidnapped by the kerry chapter of the ira they sent the owners his leg in the post with the message “send 1 million pounds or this horse will never race again”
@Patrick Gough: Ah Patrick, your comedic career is over up…you will never top your swimming pool joke.
Anyone care to tell me the swimming pool joke?
Another episode of Man about Dog!
Any chance of a story on the real news? #JonathanSugarman #whistleblower
Lassie would have found her own way home.
Probably had a tracking device on or in it
The whole thing smells!
They must have followed the right lead!
This dog was not worth the color of €1 million it was beaten in his last 2 races.
I would say he did some riding since Monday.
Jonathan sugarman revealed the biggest corruption in banking in the country’s history,where the public will be paying for decades,CB,politicians,regulator,knew and covered up billions not in banks accounts,but on paper it was there,not a word in MSM,these people are above the law,and that is unacceptable.
I want to know the swimming pool joke
That’s what you call woof justice!
No, it’s not unreal!
What’s unreal is the Jonathan Sugarman revelations about the criminality and corruption in Irish banking and government not a fuking greyhound being stolen!!!!!!
That’s ruff …sure they would be barking mad to keep it ,maybe they just wanted to take it out on a leash over a couple of years …
Seems like the journal.ie are clicking a lot of down votes on comments about real news!!
Kidnappers most likely traced through pings from cellphone towers…seen a case where dude cops were chasing threw his cellphone in a FedEx box & cops showed up at a po box in San Francisco….
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Bow Wow
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