A Sully-based dog walker has been confronted by an "aggressive" man over stealing dogs after a photo implicating his van was posted on Facebook.

Sean Mayor, the 22-year-old co-owner of PB Dog Care which he runs with his mum, says he was left feeling "intimidated and endangered" by the ordeal.

At midday today, a woman in Barry took a picture of Sean's van with the following caption:

"This van has dog cages from floor to ceiling. It was seen in Guy's Road Barry today and drove towards Cardiff Road very quickly. Two black labs and a yellow were in the back, it might be innocent but with all the reports of dog stealing happening I thought I'd share. We have reported it. Keep a lookout."

Sean was made aware of the post prior to the in-person accusation that followed.

"One of my cousins highlighted the post to me and I messaged the lady to ask to have it removed," he told Nub News.

"I know several people have messaged her saying 'it was nice of you to highlight it, but maybe you should get your information first before you post it on social media'. But we've heard nothing and the post is still there."

Shortly afterwards, Sean was dropping some dogs off after walking them in Barry when a member of the public accused him of dognapping.

"A man came up to me and said. 'Give the dogs back. You are stealing dogs'," he said.

"I couldn't believe it. I showed him all the logos and everything and he eventually believed me. He was aggressive at first but once I showed him I wasn't a dognapper he did back off, although he never apologised.

"I can understand why people being protective of their pets as they are like family. But to be doing my job and then being made to feel intimidated and endangered is really unpleasant."

Nub News cannot confirm whether the man had read the Facebook post before confronting Sean.

Although Sean is sure of the man's good intentions, he urges people to take greater caution before making accusations.

"I totally agree with that, and I can understand why the lady made the post. But it's not nice that people just assume and put me in danger by posting online before getting the facts straight.

"Now I just want people to know that I'm not a dognapper before this happens again, or something worse."

The incident comes amidst a nationwide spate of dognapping.

Demand for dogs has increased during the pandemic, pushing up the cost of some puppies from £500 to £2,000.

The organisation DogLost estimates that as a result thefts have risen by 250%, with criminal gangs involved.

Responding to accusations that the unbranded nature of Sean's white van arouses understandable suspicion, he said:

"I bought the van before the pandemic and I'm looking at rebranding, so it would be daft of me to put the logos on the van just for a couple of months.

"Also, if I highlighted the fact that I had dogs with me, it would make me more vulnerable to targeting."

At the time of writing, the post is yet to be removed. It has been shared 257 times.