A WOMAN who believes her family's pets have been stolen for dog-baiting has warned others to take extra care of their animals.

Carolyn Tate spent hours searching her neighbourhood after two guinea pigs and a rabbit disappeared from her garden in Blackbird Leys, Oxford.

The mother-of-one knocked on neighbours' doors, checked the garden fence for holes and looked everywhere for her family's three pets.

But the animal lover was unable to discover what happened to the three animals - and fears they have been stolen to bait dogs.

Her fears follow RSPCA warnings earlier this year that illegal dog-fighting gangs may be training hounds by setting dogs on pets in Blackbird Leys.

A dwarf grey rabbit went missing from Mrs Tate's garden in Haldane Road last month.

And two of her guinea pigs - black-and white JD and white-furred Holly - disappeared in separate incidents a few weeks earlier.

Mrs Tate, 48, said: "I basically want to warn other people to be careful with their animals.

"I get most of my animals from rescue places, or people give them to me because they don't want to look after them anymore.

"I have had guinea pigs for eight years. I used to leave them in the garden and they were fine.

"I think they could have been used for dog baiting because it just seems weird how they are all disappearing."

Mrs Tate, who lives with her husband Phil and daughter Jessica, 15, said her garden was surrounded by a 6ft-high wall and fence.

The family also has two other guinea pigs, a tortoise, a budgie, five cats, a kitten and a tank full of tropical fish.

She added: "The cats can't get out. We have checked everywhere, there are no holes.

"There's a walkway at the back.

"Someone could climb over the back wall - it's all quite distressing."

The RSPCA said in October that it believed a gang had set a pack of Staffordshire bull terriers on at least one cat, a rabbit and cockerels in separate attacks in the estate.

In Berrycroft, Abingdon, in October, three cats died after being poisoned with what was believed to be anti-freeze.

Anyone with information can call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.