Vandals damage surveillance cameras set up to find dog who went missing in Northamptonshire six months ago

A group which has set up surveillance cameras in an area of Northamptonshire to find a dog who went missing six months ago has been dealt a devastating blow as their equipment has been vandalised.

‘Have you seen Lexi?’, which is a part of Wellingborough Dog Squad, was set up shortly after, Lexi - a Jack Russel, toy poodle-cross, went missing in Stoke Bruerne on July 25 last year.

Kat Gudgeon, who lives in Lancashire, was on a canal boat holiday with her family and pooch when Lexi got spooked and sped off along the towpath.

Lexi is still missing, but the support group set up to find Lexi has had recent sightings on wildlife and Ring doorbell cameras set up in and around Salcey Forest.

The group is working to track Lexi’s movements and find a way to capture her, but the progress has been dampened by an act of vandalism against their surveillance equipment.

According to Northamptonshire Police, at around 4.30pm on Wednesday (February 17), a post containing one of the cameras was uprooted by four young people and one stamped on the camera.

Geraldine Guy, who is part of the ‘Have you seen Lexi?’ group, says this is the latest in a string of six acts of theft or vandalism they have suffered since looking for Lexi in the Salcey Forest area.

She said: “We had just got home from looking in Salcey Forest and I checked the cameras.

“We caught footage of the mindless vandals on the Ring doorbell.

“Once we saw it, we went straight back out to see if we could salvage any of the equipment.

“The camera, WiFi box and power bank were nowhere to be seen.

“Incidents like this are really disheartening, especially with all the hours volunteers put in and the public who have donated money for the cameras.

“They will not win though. We will not give up on Lexi as she has a massive support network routing for her.

“She is definitely around in the area as we have had images since January, but time is of the essence. How much longer can she keep going?”

Despite the vandalism set back, the group will set up the equipment again - with help from the public’s generosity - and continue to track Lexi and find a way to reunite her with her family.

Kat, Lexi’s owner, added: “When there is an amazing team going out all hours of the day everyday, for the cameras to get damaged and broken is just shocking. It’s mindless vandalism.

“I felt furious, and then I felt upset, and then I felt guilty that there is a team looking for my dog and they are having to deal with vandalism. I feel awful.

“The support they have given though is absolutely amazing and that of the public with the donations and still keeping an eye out for Lexi.

“When she first went missing, I thought she’d be home in a couple of weeks, but she’s still not home six months later yet we are still getting sightings reported.

“It is all going in the right direction, if people could just please leave the cameras alone.”

As Lexi is nervous and in the survival mode, she may run away, so members of the public are asked to report any sightings to the ‘Have you seen Lexi?’ Facebook rather than trying to call her.

Anyone who may have any information about the act of vandalism from February 17 is asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101.

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