A GWENT pensioner, who stole £103,000 from a building society, is taking legal action against her son to force him to hand over two golden retrievers she claims are hers.

Vilna Marsden, from Monmouth, was released from jail in December, halfway through an 18- month sentence for stealing the cash from clients' accounts at the Yorkshire Building Society.

But the 62-year-old, who says her experience in jail "haunts her", is alleging her son, Andrew Perrett, 39, who lives near Gravesend, Kent, is refusing to return her two golden retrievers, called Millie and Lyric.

She told the Argus: "My life is so empty without them. I will do anything to get them back."

Ms Marsden, of Carbonne Close, claims she asked friends to take care of her dogs after she was jailed in May 2002.

She said: "I knew what was going to happen, so I had things arranged before I was sent to jail.

"I asked a friend to take care of the dogs for me, but my son had them and he is not letting me have them back. I care about those dogs so much. I have nothing left, but all I want is those dogs."

Now Mrs Marsden, who will be on licence until November, has been taking legal advice and is launching her own civil legal proceedings against her son to reclaim the dogs.

A first preliminary hearing of the civil proceedings will take place at Gravesend county court on October 2.

"I just did not know what else to do," she told the Argus. "I was hoping it would not come to this. I will have to represent myself as I cannot afford a solicitor, but I have all the paperwork to say they are my dogs."

Ms Marsden was a branch supervisor with the Yorkshire Building Society, in Monmouth, and stole from three accounts between October 1993 and January 2001.

The court heard she was being blackmailed by a former lover who she told police had been taking £15,000 a year from her since 1994.

Ms Marsden said: "The one thing that kept me alive was the thought of being back with my dogs."

Mr Perrett was unavailable for comment as the Argus went to Press, but neighbours in his home village of Culverstone said he lives for his dogs and would be heartbroken to lose them.

One, who did not want to be named, said: "He looks after them very well. The dogs look very fit and healthy, and we see him walk them every day. You can't fault the way they're cared for or how they're treated."

The gardener, of School Lane, Culverstone, added: "He won't be giving them up easily because he feels for them so dearly."

Another neighbour said: "Anyone would become very attached to those dogs. I think that's what happened, and after treating them so well and watching them grow, he doesn't want togive them up."