It is a crime that leaves one almost as flabbergasted as appalled.

A middle aged woman in the small town of Euskirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, was walking her beagle puppy in the local park when an old couple approached her.

The man, who looked to be in his seventies, grabbed her by the arm, while his wife threw meatballs for the infant canine to chew on.

When the dog owner finally freed herself the elderly pair made a getaway on a pair of green bikes.

But the damage had already been done. The meatballs were poisoned.

Although the dog-owner brought her puppy immediately to a vet it was not certain that it would survive.

Police describe the fugitive pair as follows: The man has silver glasses and his grey hair is combed backwards. He is around 186 cm tall and very thin.

The woman has silver hair which is cut short and was wearing green and beige chequered trousers.