Dog breeder Mary Raby fears her stolen Akita could be used in an illegal fighting arena.

The Japanese hunting dog - still just a seven-month-old puppy - was snatched from her garden at Hill Top Cottage, Banks Lane, Riddlesden, near Keighley, on Tuesday lunchtime.

Keighley police and the Bradford dog warden service have been alerted, along with veterinary surgeons in the area.

Mrs Raby last saw Meesha, a silver fawn coloured bitch, relaxing under a garden bench.

Forty-five minutes later she was gone.

"I'm distraught. My fear is that she could have been taken to be used for illegal fighting. It's to terrible to think about," she said.

"I'm also worried because she has a heart murmur and is on medication," she said.

"She was resting under the bench and I went away to see to some puppies. When I got back the gate was wide open and swinging - I'm confident I had locked it - and she was gone."

She said she had received telephone calls asking about dogs, asking whether they could "stand up for themselves" if they were confronted by another dog - which she believes were from people looking for fighting dogs.

Mrs Raby said: "I'm so upset I can't speak about it without crying."

An RSPCA spokesman said Mrs Raby's fears were not groundless.

"We have police reports that there are gangs targeting certain dogs by following their owners, watching their habits and then stealing their dogs," he said.

A spokesman for Bradford Council dog warden service said: "We have no information about any such dogs being used for fighting in this area."

Akita dogs were originally used in Japan to hunt bears and are among the largest and heaviest dogs in the world.

The breed is relatively rare in Britain, but has become more popular in recent years.

Anyone who may have seen Meesha or knows her whereabouts should telephone Mrs Raby on (01535) 662648.