"€1 million dog" rescued after armed Gardai intercept car in Tipperary

A stolen greyhound which is claimed to be worth €1 million has been recovered safe and well.

Four men have been arrested in connection with the theft of the animal.

Clares Rocket, which is owned by a Limerick syndicate, was taken from the yard of Irish Derby winning trainer Graham Holland in Golden in the early hours of Monday.

The dog is estimated to have a stud value of more than €1 million and has won the Champion Stakes and the Produce Stakes.

RTE reports that armed Gardaí attached to the Regional Support Unit in Limerick found the dog when they stopped and searched a car in Co Tipperary.

Two men in the car are well-known members of a Limerick criminal gang and a third has links to dissident republicans.

It is believed that the car was being tracked by gardaí when it left Limerick yesterday and travelled to Co Waterford where the dog was handed over to the occupants of the car.

The car was then tracked as it left Co Waterford last night before being intercepted in Co Tipperary.

The four men arrested are being held at Tipperary and Clonmel garda stations.