IT'S a case of 'Buddy, can you a spare a dime?' for hard-up theft victims in Paignton who have been asked to pay £150 to recover their stolen dog.

Out-of-pocket Chris Tribble and his partner Sameena Lumber have had to find money they can ill afford after Buddy, their English bull terrier, was placed with council carers and kennels after his vanishing act at the hands of car thieves two weeks ago.

Chris is more than miffed he and Sameena have to fork out the heavy fees when Buddy's 'stray' status was beyond their control.

"He disappeared when our BMW was stolen on June 27. We got the car back half an hour later — but Buddy wasn't inside," explained Chris, of Colley End Road.

He added: "We informed all the authorities, so I don't see why we should have to pay to get him back. If we hadn't paid up, Buddy would have been re-homed. It's very unfair."

Buddy was in the vehicle when it was taken from outside Kirkham Cottage near the couple's home.

The BMW 320 was quickly traced, but without its four-legged occupant who was not seen again till Monday when he was handed in as a stray.

Chris said: "We've now got Buddy back. While he was away he seems to have suffered some chemical burn marks to his underside. We are not happy we had to pay though. The BMW was so badly damaged we've had to dispose of it."

To make matters worse their Range Rover was vandalised on Tuesday, leaving them with a £1,000 repair bill after the windscreen was damaged and the chrome door handles were stolen.

"We've not had much luck," admitted Chris.

A Torbay Council spokesman said: "A member of the public found a stray dog in Well Street, Paignton, on Monday evening.

"They tried to find the owner without success, and did the correct thing by contacting the council's 24-hour control room.

"The duty officer contacted local kennels who sent someone out to collect the dog and take it into their care.

"Most of the costs incurred, totalling £132.96, relate to the kennel fees, except for a statutory Government stray dog fine of £25. Neither of the council's dog wardens was involved in this matter."

He added: "We have discussed the situation with the dog owner, and have made an arrangement with him to pay the costs over a three-month period."