Two family pets were attacked during a rural burglary that has horrified the animals' owners.

An employer who was ripped off by a worker who went on a $700,000 shopping spree is struggling to recover his money because nobody wants to buy the woman's flashy furniture and "tacky" jewellery.

From the moment a Rotorua man offered to help a friend steal nine tonnes of native logs, the foolhardy scheme was destined to fail.